Steel Bridge Team of the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The National Student Steel Bridge Competition is an annual competition amongst approximately 200 schools across North America which challenges engineering students to design, fabricate, and build a 1:10 scale steel bridge that conforms to the specifications laid out in the competition rules. These rules change each year to keep the competition fresh and exciting. Bridges are scored at competitions based on Construction Economy and Structural Efficiency. The goal is to build a bridge that is strong, light, and easy to put together.

The fall semester is spent designing the bridge using the popular structural analysis program SAP2000. Team members are taught the fundamentals of the program during meetings, and are encouraged to assist in the design of the bridge. We also utilize the TEAM Lab to fabricate our own member connections, and many team members complete the requirements for obtaining their "Intro to Machining" training, allowing them access to the shop.

After the structural design is complete, the bridge is drawn in AutoCAD and a complete plan set is created. The plans are then brought to a local manufacturing company over winter break, who generously helps members fabricate the bridge for one week in January.

Spring semester is spent modifying the bridge and practicing construction runs. One of the goals of the competition is to put the bridge, which is fabricated in pieces, together as fast as possible. We spend months practicing so that we are as fast as possible at competitions.

The team competes in a regional competition, typically in early April, and hopefully a national competition in June. This year, our regional event will be in Chicago between UIC and IIT, and nationals are at Brigham Young University. The UW-Madison team has been very successful, competing in the national competition 20+ years in a row.

This year we are looking for lots of new members to assist in the design, fabrication and construction our bridge. We have lofty goals set for this school year and we are going to need a lot of involvement to achieve them. If you are interested in joining, please contact us via e-mail at steelbridgeuw@gmail.com or attend one of our meetings. We hope to hear from you, and On Wisconsin!