Competitions

 

Questions?

If you have any questions or comments about the competition rules (other than Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge), please use the web form via Contact Us.

1/17/11: Please bring water shoes if you plan on helping put your canoe in and out of the water. No student will be allowed to get in the water unless they have shoes on. Thanks!
1/18/11: Canoes will be put in at an asphalt boat ramp and then they will have to be rowed over to race locations. Trailers can back right up to the water. To get to the race area, everyone will have to walk along a short 100yd or so wooded trail. Any transport would have to either be pushed or carried along the trail if you chose to take your canoe out of the water between races. Alternatively, if you have a separate stand for the canoe visual display, that could be used between races as well. For the displays on Friday, the canoes can be dropped off very close. The display area will be on a level, grassy area.

1/13/11: The URL for reference citation information has changed to: http://www.asce.org/Content.aspx?id=18107

1/24/11 Q: In the load testing of the bridges, the direction of the testing plate can be changed or have to be placed in the longitudinal direction? What is the geometry of the testing support?
A: The plate will be placed in the longitudinal direction. For testing supports, we will use solid blocks.
2/2/11 Q: Total Bridge height f the height of a bridge is 3.75 inches, the price will be $5.00 or $2.50?
A: A height of 3.75" will not reduce the bridge cost. It is listed as $5.00 for each half inch. There is no cost reduction for each quarter-inch below 4".
2/2/11 Q: The deck can be transposed in the longitudinal beams? (above the beams but not fastened) 2. What is the actual thickness of the deck? (The rules says "must not exceed 1/8 inch in thickness"...so, it could be less than 1/8 inch?)
A: The deck can simply rest on the longitudinal beams of the bridge. Fastening of the deck is not required. Yes, the deck can be less than 1/8" in thickness, as the rules do not state otherwise.
2/2/11 Q: For the balsa bridge testing, what material will the testing plate be made of and how thick will it be?
A: Plate will be made of steel and it will be 1/8" in thickness.
2/15/11 Q: Are the balsa pieces allowed to be notched, meaning can two members be joined together so that they are flush at the intersection? There will be glue applied in-between.
A: Members can be notched/slightly altered at the ends in order to accommodate for the glue joints.
2/15/11 Q: For the extra cost off the total price, does the bridge have to be 100% replicated from an existing bridge or is it just supposed to model after it? Does the bridge that it was modeled after have to be placed in the design paper?
A: The bridge only has to be modeled after an existing bridge. This should be discussed in your design paper.
2/15/11 Q: Does the bridge have to have a superstructure or can it just have a substructure?
A: Your bridge can have either a sub- or superstructure or it can have both.
2/15/11 Q: Can the bridges decking be place about 1/2in above the support blocks? If yes is that included in the substructure?
A: The raised dimension of the deck would be included as a superstructure. The substructure is measured as the distance from the bottom of the deck rails.
2/15/11 Q: Bridge deck height-  According to pg 5 Bridge boundary conditions, The bridge deck can be no higher than 2 inches. On pg 3. rule 7.4.16 states that a 2 in. by 2 in. block must be able to pass through the bridge. This seems to indicate that the bridge deck must be located at exactly 2 in. in height. Is this true? Also, must the block pass through the bridge from end to end and also side to side within the 10 inches of clear span?
A: The block must be able to pass along the deck without colliding with any members. For example, if a bridge has only the 2-in substructure as the support, then they have no problem having the block pass. If there is a superstructure, then the block cannot hit any of the members included in the superstructure.
2/15/11 Q: Glued surfaces- According to rule 7.4.12 glued surfaces must be less than 1/4 inch at connections. The maximum size of the members is 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. This seems to be impossible to achieve. Especially if you must cut members at angle which would increase the surface area to be glued. Can I glue exactly 1/4 by 1/4 inches and be safe? And if I cut a member to be glued at an angle, can I glue the entire end of that member to be connected. Example of this would be the angled members within a truss.
A: The dimension of the glued joints refers to the thickness of the joint. In other words, the joint can be glued on the entire surface of the end of each member, but it cannot create a gap of 1/4-in between the members.
3/15/11:  In the rules, the order the schools would be going was going to be based on paper scores.  This has changed and we have already assigned times for each school. 
11/30/10: The team captain must be an undergraduate student. One graduate student is permitted. There is no limit on the number of team members.
12/10/10: The 40% minimum replacement is by mass, not by volume.
2/2/11: Metakaolin (and similar products) is prohibited as it does not meet the specifications detailed in the rules.

11/30/10: Each team must contain a minimum of 4 students; one per inning per match. Alternates are allowed in subsquent matches, but each inning must be pitched by a different student. The team captain must be an undergraduate student. Two graduate students are permitted.

11/30/10: Teams are limited to a maximum of 4 undergraduates only (no graduate students)
12/13/10 and 1/18/11 (update): Q: How will DOC, turbidity, and pH be measured?
A: DOC will be determined by high temperature combustion techniques; the Standard Method Procedure is SM 5310 B; the sample will be filtered through a 0.45 um filter prior to analysis. Turbidity will be determined using a nephelometer. pH will be determined using a pH meter and pH probe. Teams may bring their own pH meter and probe to test their solution prior to submission. UV absorbance is not permitted prior to submission.

3/15/2011: Each team needs to make sure to bring goggles, gloves, and apron (if desired) for competition.

1/26/11: Poster Set-up Clarification - Teams are responsible for providing means for holding their posters up.  Tables will be available to set poster displays on.  Also, open areas of space will be made available for poster stands to be set-up.

11/6/10 Q: Are the materials and equipment provided by the holder or should the competitors bring their own? 
A: Except in extenuating circumstances, which must be approved prior, all materials and equipment specified in Section 3.2 of the rules must be provided by the competitors. 
11/6/10 Q: Does the distance that should be measured in the competition mean horizontal or slope distance? 
A: The measured distance will be the horizontal distance only.
11/6/10 Q: Could the competitors use meter as the unit of distance or is only foot allowed?
A: Any unit of distance may be used for the calculations. However, the final answer must be reported in feet. Please keep in mind that a known distance of 100 feet will be provided for pacing.
2/1/11: Only one handheld compass is permitted per team.
3/2/11:  Please bring a hanger to hang up your t-shirt with. 

11/20/10: In Round 1, twelve 2-point questions instead of eight 3-point questions may be used.

12/12/10: Clarification for what is required on Thursday night: Bring a faculty advisor, a student member that is not part of the visual display team, and all your materials to set up your display.

2/22/11: Thursday night change: due to a schedule conflict, students will set up their posters on Friday morning instead of Thursday night.  On Thursday night, the team still needs to bring a faculty advisor and student member and enter the STEM center through the auditorium. 

3/15/11:There are going to be about 150 middle school students attending the competition.

  • On Thursday night (at 6:00), each school needs to bring the following: (Please don't confuse this with the Steel Bridge Visual Display Judging on the time line)
    • The captain for their visual display team
    • An extra student that can help judge the competition on Friday.  This student will not be able to compete in any competitions on Friday from 8:00am to 12:00pm. So please bring a student, that will be available as a judge during this time.
    • A faculty member that can help judge on Friday.
For this meeting, you do not need to bring any of your materials.  The building we're hosting the competition in is being used for another event, and we will not be able to set up any of the displays on Thursday night.  All materials will be set up on Friday morning from 8:00am to 9:00am.
    • On Friday morning from 8:00am to 9:00am, each school needs to arrive at the STEM Center with the following:
      • All students that are helping present the material for the visual display competition.
      • All of their materials for the competition.
      • A student or faculty member if they were chosen to be a judge for the competition. Not all of the students and faculty members that are at the meeting on Thursday will be chosen as judges for the competition.  We will pick them at random in order to make the judging fair.  Only the people chosen to be judges need to return for the competition on Friday.
    • On Friday morning from 9:00am to 12:00pm, each school will need to be present with all of the members of their visual display team.  The school's are not going to be presenting individually.  The presentations will be in a "career fair" style.  All schools will be presenting at the same time, and the middle school students will be rotating through for the entire 3 hours.
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