Model students build bridges with college project

IT may seem like child’s play, but for first-year students at the University of Limerick (UL), it’s a serious part of their curriculum.

Construction engineering students at UL will today unveil a series of model bridges made from cardboard.

And the quality and design of the toy bridges will have a major bearing on their exam results.

In the first module of its kind at an Irish third-level college, first-year engineering students were given design and material specifications to work off when constructing the ‘toy’ bridges. The main material had to be cardboard and the bridges must span a distance of 2ft and be able to bear a load of 14lb.

The 61 UL construction management and engineering students were given six weeks to plan, design, fabricate and test a model of a bridge.

The competition/project is an integral part of UL’s construction management and engineering degree programme, which commenced in September.

Using cardboard as the build material, teams of three to five students had to design, analyse, fabricate and test a bridge while supporting a known load.

A spokesperson for UL said: “This assignment which will comprise 60% of the students’ marks in the module, is the first of its kind in any Irish third-level institution.

“The students were able to use the online design aid — Westpoint Bridge Designer to assist them in the project.”

The bridge construction contest has been sponsored by Michael Punch and Associates, a large structural engineering practice in Limerick. Michael Punch will judge the best bridge along with course director Dr Declan Phillips, with a first prize of €500.

This project is seen as an opportunity to experience how various engineering criteria can all be integrated within a single module.