Research Highlight - Concrete Canoe & Steel Bridge Competition

Annually, UM-CEE students put into practice what they learn in the classroom through the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)-ASCE Steel Bridge Competition. The Michigan Concrete Canoe Team is tasked with designing the hull, developing a concrete mix, and constructing an actual concrete canoe which must float when filled with water. Not only must the members of the team be astute with their knowledge of hull design and concrete mixes, but they also race the canoe at the North Central Regional Competition each spring. On the other hand, the Michigan Steel Bridge Team does its best to keep dry as it spends months designing a 1:10 scale model for a mock highway bridge whose specifications change each year. The bridge is entirely designed and fabricated by members of the team at UM’s Wilson Student Project Center. The final product spans approximately 20 feet and must be able to be assembled quickly and support up 2,500 pounds of vertical load requiring the team to put their structural engineering and construction knowledge to work. At the North Central Regional Competition each spring, the steel bridge team is judged on speed of construction, weight of the bridge, efficiency, and aesthetics. Both teams are part of the student chapter of ASCE and provide a great way for students to get hands-on civil engineering experience.

At the 2009 North Central Regional Competition, the Concrete Canoe Team paddled their canoe, HydroThunder, to an overall 6th place finish. The results, durability of the canoe, and camaraderie gained provide optimism for an improvement in the standings this year. With a 2nd place finish in economy and 3rd place finish in efficiency, the Steel Bridge Team placed 2nd overall at the regional competition earning them their first trip to the National Competition (Las Vegas) since 2005. At the National competition, the team and bridge performed admirably earning a 23rd place finish out of the 49 teams competing. The team looks to return to Nationals this year and further improve upon last year’s season.

The Steel Bridge Team, along with the Human-Powered Submarine Team and Baja Racing Team, was featured in a recent College of Engineering Podcast on Hands-On Learning.