West Point Bridge
Design Contest 2012
Introduction
• A bit about me
• What is Civil Engineering?
• What do I do?
• The competition…
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 Arch
Image 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
Some engineering principles
Tension = being stretched
Compression = being squashed
In a triangle:
in compression
in 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.
The Contest
Design a bridge!
Plan
Refine
Design
Review
Challenge
Design 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
Some Rules
•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
The Prizes
•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!!
Any Questions?
Good Luck!