Tacoma Canyon Bridge Project

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Scenario:        At the same time that the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed, another, lesser known bridge, the Tacoma Canyon Bridge, collapsed also (they were both designed by the same engineers).  Now the city of Tacoma must rebuild both bridges quickly and at minimum of cost. The Tacoma County Department of Transportation has hired your team to help them with this problem.

Assignment:   Design and construct the most cost efficient bridge possible across Tacoma Canyon while meeting all requirements and schedules.

Organization:  Teams of 2 Engineers – 2 lane bridge (4 Trucks)

                        Individual Engineers  - 1 lane bridge (2 Trucks)

Requirements:   The bridge must meet the following requirements:

·         Must fit Tacoma Canyon

·         Must be supported or contact only Black surfaces

·         The canyon cannot be modified in any way

·         The bridge deck must be within 1/8” of existing road surfaces

·         A guardrail of at least 2 inches in height must be present

·         Must support 4 fully loaded tractor trailers (2 in each lane)

·         ATI Design Process Must be utilized

Materials:      Only the following materials may be used to construct your bridge:

·         Wooden Beams (4½ x 3/8 x 1/16 inch) @ $10 per inch – unlimited supply

·         Wooden Rod (1/8 inch diameter dowel X 6 inches) @ $20 per inch – unlimited supply

·         String  (# 18 twisted nylon) @ $25 per inch – supply limited to 64 inches maximum

·         Paper (provided) @ $5 per square inch – unlimited supply

·         Small Screws (5/16 inches long)-$5 each – supply unlimited

·         Large Screws (1/2 inches long) – $10 each – supply unlimited

Engineering:   The Tacoma County Department of Transportation (TCDT) requires the following from all contractors:

·           Support Task # 52 – How Trusses Work

·         A Bridge Research Report must be submitted before construction begins (See Bridge Research Report)

·         A patented*, full scale bridge drawing, drawn to our drawing specifications**, must be approved before construction begins

·         All construction equipment operators must be licensed and have a record of their training on file

·         A final engineering report must be submitted at the end of the project

(See Engineering Report Requirements)

Schedule:        The entire project must be completed in three weeks as outlined below:

Engineering Report Requirements:

Title and Cover Page (include graphics)

Step 1 - Problem Definition

                Written definition of problem

Step 2 - Develop Design Brief

                Written description pf solution

Step 3 - Investigate and Research

(Not Required)

Step 4- Generate Alternative Designs

                Include 3 separate sketches of alternative designs

Step 5- Select Optimum Solution

                Use Patented -Full Scale drawing required.

Step 6- Model Construction

                Picture of completed model in place over simulated canyon

Step 7- Test and Evaluate

                Picture of completed model holding 4 simulated trucks

Step 8- Improve and Produce

              Include completed Bill of Materials (See TCBP Bill of Materials)

Notes:

·         *   Patents will be awarded to acceptable drawings on a first-come, first-served basis. Bridges must be built to patented drawings. All modifications made to patented designs must be approved and initialed by TCDT. Patent Infringement violations will cost $100 per violation!

·         ** See TCDT Drawing Specifications

·         *** The lowest cost bridge that meets all specifications will be awarded $100, the highest cost bridge that meets specifications will be awarded $0.  Payments for other bridges will be made incrementally based upon corresponding costs from the lowest to the highest cost bridges.  All required Items #1-4 must be completed before any bonus $ will be awarded.

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