National Timber Bridge Design Competition

NATIONAL TIMBER BRIDGE DESIGN COMPETITION
(Open to ASCE & FPS Student Chapters)

The National Timber Bridge Design Competition is open to student chapters of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Forest Products Society (FPS) in the United States and Canada. Joint or cooperative entries (ASCE and FPS working together) are eligible and even encouraged. A chapter may also submit multiple entries.

The Competition has 3 major objectives:

To promote interest in the use of wood as a competitive bridge construction material,
To generate innovative and cost-effective timber bridge design techniques, and
To develop an appreciation of the engineering capabilities of wood.

This competition is being coordinated by Southwest Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), Inc., a rural development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Partial funding is being provided by the U.S. Forest Service through its Wood in Transportation Initiative. Unit Structures LLC is a corporate sponsor. The competition is also endorsed by ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute.

An adequate transportation system is critical to maintaining quality of life and promoting economic development, especially in rural America. However, throughout rural America, thousands of deficient bridges limit the movement of farm and timber crops from the fields to the mills. These failing bridges also limit rural access to goods and services. Modern timber bridge designs appear to be a partial solution to this problem. In addition to being aesthetic, economical and easy to install, timber bridges can boost the local economy through value added to a local, renewable natural resource.

The annual competition began in 1993. After going online via Internet in 1998, the competition now features the ability to submit entries online including drawings and photos, an online update page, and online posting of judging results. Also, following judging, all entries are posted online to allow teams to learn from the successes (and failures!) of each other.

To view past results and entries:

For information on the 16th (2008) Competition:

2008 Competition Rules (same as 2006) Entry Deadline: April 4, 2008
2008 Design and Test Set-Up (same as 2006)
2008 Q & A / Updates
2008 On-Line Entry
2008 Certification & Entry Form

Contestants should check Q & A/Updates frequently to stay abreast of rules interpretations or competition changes. Also use Q & A/Updates to submit questions, comments or suggestions.

Attention - Sites for Information --- Check these out below!

For wood products and treatment information, technical values, design data, specifications, suppliers, etc.:

Testimonials:

"This year, we had the privilege to work with 5 companies that donated materials and services for the bridge. Cooperation such as this gives the students direct interaction with industry. It also reflects positively on Virginia Tech and the sponsor companies. The bridge competition is an excellent community relations tool. In addition, it promotes the use of wood products, one of our few renewable natural resources. Last year our participation in the bridge competition generated a great deal of interest and positive publicity. We hope this year's competition will generate the same interest." -- Virginia Tech
FPS Chapter
2000

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