The Ultimate Bridge Competition
The Institute of Wood Science (IWSc) transferred all its activities to IOM3 in summer 2009 creating a new technical division called IWSc: The Wood Technology Society.
Members of the former IWSc are keen to see wood and wood-based products promoted and used in schools and are willing to offer support to teachers to achieve this.
The Ultimate Bridge Competition has been designed to bring wood and its uses to the front of the minds of secondary school pupils by getting them to research wood and wood-based products and use their results to design and perhaps construct a novel bridge structure.
The Prizes
The winning school in each class will be awarded £250 and membership of the Schools Affiliate Scheme (SAS) for twelve months. The school submitting the overall best posters from each class will also receive SAS membership for one year. The winning team members will receive certificates and prizes.
Important dates
The competition is being revised during 2011, and consequently will not be run. The details below are retained for information only.
The Brief
Students must research the properties of wood and wood-based products and use their findings to design a bridge measuring 700mm long which can span a gap of 600mm. There is no limit on the width or thickness of the structure, but the central 100mm section must be kept clear to allow loading during final testing (only shortlisted bridges need to be constructed and brought along to the final).
Students can use wood, engineered products such as MDF or wood-based materials like card and paper in their design. Glue may be used to stick components together but the use of screws, nails or other metallic fasteners is not permitted.
Entries
Judging
- In the first instance entrants must submit two A3 posters detailing their research, choice of materials, construction techniques and drawings of their bridge design. Please do not send bridges!!
- Initially, the judges will be assessing the posters and looking for novel designs which make the best use of the available materials. They will also be looking for clear, well presented posters which show the background to the design and detailed drawings of the bridge.
- The judges will shortlist 3 designs per class per region (Scotland and Ireland, North East, North West, Midlands, South East and South West).
- The shortlisted teams will be invited to bring their bridges along to the final to be tested to destruction.
- During the final the designs will be weighed and then tested by adding weights to the central 100mm section of the bridge. The bridge will be deemed to have failed when it breaks.
- The bridge with the highest strength to weight ratio will be deemed the winning design and there will be one prize per class.