West Point Bridge Design Contest 2012

• A bit about me• What is Civil Engineering?• What do I do?• The competition…

Introduction

A bit about me....

Do you know what a civil engineer is?

What do you need to do that?

• To be good at Maths and Science• To have Maths and Science Qualifications• Either go to university or….• Do a modern apprenticeship• To enjoy problem solving• To want an exciting career!

So, what do I

actually do??

A quick look at bridge engineering…

From the wooden suspension bridge…

…to the vision of architecture and engineering combined

Different types of bridge:

The Clyde Arc in Glasgow

Bowstring ArchImage courtesy of Glasgow City Council

Different types of bridge:

The Forth Road Bridge &Forth Bridge (Rail) in Edinburgh

Suspension Bridge and Truss Bridge

Different types of bridge:

The Tay Bridge in Dundee

Girder/truss

Different types of bridge:

Kenmore Bridge at Loch Tay

Masonry Arch

Different types of bridge:

Skye Bridge

Cantilever

The future of Scottish Bridges

The Forth Replacement Crossing

Cable-stayed bridge

Jacobs are working with Transport Scotland on this project

Images courtesy of Transport Scotland

The future of Scottish Bridges

Cost estimate: £1.7-2.3 billion

Programme: to open in 2016

Size: 2.7km long

Will carry a dual carriageway across the Forth

Images courtesy of Transport Scotland

Tension = being stretched

Compression = being squashed

Some engineering principles

In a triangle:

in compressionin compression

The corners are trying to slide apart, so the bottom of the triangle

is in tension

In a truss- •Tension is blue •Compression is red

Materials:

•Some are better in tension than in compression (think about an elastic band)

•Some are the other way around (like stone and concrete)

•You will have to experiment.

Design a bridge!

Plan

Design

Review

Refine

The Contest

ChallengeDesign a truss bridge to carry a two-lane highway across this river valley

Objectives• Ensure that your bridge can carry its own weight, plus the

weight of a standard truck loading

• Keep the cost of the project as low as possible

•See Instruction Sheets!•Download software from the internet•Register your team of two online - fill in the local contest code•Use the wizard to get you started

•Work in teams of two- you must not register

multiple teams

•Submit your entry to the website by the

deadline date and time

•Cheapest design that can carry the lorry will

be the winner!

•The global contest rules on the Westpoint

Bridge website apply

Some Rules

•Amazon Vouchers top 10 teams•1st- £150 of Amazon vouchers for each team member•2nd- £100 of Amazon vouchers for each team member•3rd- £80 of Amazon vouchers for each team member•And £30 Amazon vouchers for each member of the next 7 teams!!

The Prizes

Any Questions?

Good Luck!