Nirmaan

"People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges."

Colossal, magnificent, gigantic, prodigious, humongous, gargantuan... Do these words ring a bell? Ever felt awestruck to see these huge bridges designed with dexterity and care? Ever felt like making one?! Well, here's a chance for you to transfer your innovativeness and technical skills into a physical model of bridge!! Yes, your very own bridge, designed, fabricated and assembled solely by you!

Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur and Nirmaan team presents before the folks - Popsicle Bridge Design Challenge in TAKNEEK '09.

Now it is the time for the brilliant and hard-core engineering minds to work and earn few more points for their Pool.

Registration and Schedule

• Send a mail to msanjay@iitk.ac.in or kartikey@iitk.ac.in with subject "Nirmaan - Registration". The mail should contain your name of your Pool and team members.
• Deadline for registration is 2359 Hrs, Friday, 18th September.
• The event will start on Saturday, 19th September at 9:00 pm.
• All the registered teams must submit their completed bridges in STRUCTURAL LAB by 9:45 pm
• The Final Judging of the event is scheduled at 10.30 am, Sunday 20th Sept in the STRUCTURAL LAB.

Problem Statement

Design a three dimensional self-supporting model bridge. The physical constraints of the bridge are according to the following specifications:

1. Span(S): 500 mm
2. Height (H): 80 mm (greater than or equal to)
3. Width (W): 120 mm (greater than or equal to)
4. Weight: 350 gm (maximum)
5. No part of the deck should be more than 50 mm above the abutments (support level).

Building material

1. POPSICLE STICKS - 270 grams (to each team)
2. EPOXY FEVICOL MR - 85 grams (to each team)

Each team will also be provided with a Jewelers hack saw and sand paper.

All the material will be provided to the POOL SI-TECH SECYS on Friday (19th September 09. The registered teams can get their material from them.

Rules and Regulations

• Each Pool can send maximum of 5 teams.
• Each team can have 3 to 5 members. (minimum 3 and maximum 5)
• Each team is required to submit the design (drawing, the plane view and the deck view). The deadline for design submission is 6:00 pm, Saturday,19th Sept.
• There are points for aesthetics and originality as well.
• The whole structure is to be constructed in the allotted time only.

Fabrication Specifications

• The whole bridge must be fabricated by using provided materials only; use of any additional material is strictly not allowed.
• The model will be made from Popsicle sticks and joining them by epoxy, however you can use cellophane tape or threads for keeping sticks, etc., in place temporarily.
• You can combine the popsicle sticks as per your design by gluing them together.
• The cellophane tape must not be part of the final structure.
• There should be an adequate gap in between the deck members, for a V-bolt to pass through for loading purpose.

Loading and Testing

Testing will take place in the STRUCTURAL LAB on 10:30 am Sunday, 20th Sept

• Loading by Screw-Jack.
• Load measurement by Load-cell.
• Deflection measurement by LVDT (Linear variable differential transformer).

Judging Criterion

The bridge will be evaluated for its strength as failure load to self-weight ratio (i.e., structural efficiency).

Failure load is defined as:

• Maximum load carried by the bridge before it fractures.
• Load corresponding to 25 mm deflection under the load.

Contacts

1. Sanjay        msanjay@iitk.ac.in    9695054414
2. Kartikey    kartikey@iitk.ac.in    9453943600
3. Pratyush     pmishra@iitk.ac.in