Dear High School Science Teacher:

The Huntsville Branch of ASCE is sponsoring a Toothpick bridge and Solar Car Challenge for high school students to be held at UAH this fall. This is the inaugural year of the competition and we would like to invite all county and city to participate. In addition to the learning experience of this event, the winning classes will be awarded a class pizza party and other prizes. The event will be held at the UAH University Center Room 127 on Friday October 22 from noon until 2:30 pm. We at ASCE feel that this is a wonderful opportunity for your students to learn about engineering through an active, fun experience.

The attached fact sheet summarizes the basis of the competition. Complete rules can be found at http://coeweb.eb.uah.edu/cee/news-events.htm. If you would like to participate, please fill out the entry form by September 3rd and we will provide you with the materials. Since supplies are limited, these are available on a first come, first served basis:

Please fax the form to me at 824-6724 or if you need more information, and feel free to contact me at 824-6423 or email Leonard@cee.uah.edu.

 

 

 

2004 Huntsville Branch
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
SUMMARY OF HIGH SCHOOL
CIVIL ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

Popsicle Stick Bridge Challenge
Bridge construction

1. The bridge will be composed of two Popsicle stick trusses joined together by a Popsicle stick deck
2. Only wood glue (e.g. Elmers) may be used to join the pieces together.
3. There is no limit on the number of individual pieces used in construction, however mass of the bridge will be taken into account for the final factoring.

Bridge dimensions

1. The bridge will be supported by two vertical supports, 17 inches apart. There is no maximum length of the bridge.
2. Width-The outside dimension of the road deck must be the length of a Popsicle stick

Loading

1. The load point will be the midpoint of the centerline of the bridge.
2. The bridge deck must accommodate a loading block with a hole of ½ inch x ½ inch

Testing

1. The bridge will be weighed prior to testing
2. The loading block will be applied to the bridge.
3. The bridges will be loaded until significant deformation or failure starts to occur. Judges determination is final.
4. The final load will be weighed by the judges and a strength factor computed by:

Strength Factor = Maximum Applied Load / Model Weight

Solar Car Challenge

The objective of the Solar Challenge is to design and build a vehicle that will complete a race in the shortest possible time using the available power. Teams of 4 to 5 students will experience first-hand the process of design; actually turning ideas into a working model. The winner of the competition will be the team whose vehicle is the top finisher in a series of head to head elimination rounds.

Your school will be given solar panels, motors, wheels, gears, and axles. You will need to determine materials for the body to complete the design of your car. These are the basic parts involved for your design:

1. power source: how the solar panel and motor work
2. chassis: how to build the frame of the car
3. wheels and bearings: how to make wheels that turn
4. transmission: how to transfer power from the motor to the wheels
5. body design: how the car body effects car performance
The purpose of this competition is to capture energy from the sun with the solar panel and to turn it into electrical energy. The electric motor then uses this electrical energy to power the wheels of the solar car.

Schedule of Competition

· Registration of classes for the challenge must be received by September 3, 2004.
· Solar car kits and balsa wood will be distributed to the schools during the following week.
· The competition will be held at UAH collected by October 22, 2004 from noon until 2:30 pm in the University Center Room 127.
· The pizza party checks will be awarded to the winning teams on the day of the challange.

 

 

 

Solar Car and Toothpick Bridge Challenge Entry Form

My class will participate in:

Solar car challenge
Bridge Challenge

Teachers’ name _____________________________

Team List – first names only (4-5 students per team)

Team A ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________

Team B ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________

Team C___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________

Team D ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________

Team E ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________