• News
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Departments & Programs
• Faculty and Staff
• Student Activities
• Research
• Community Outreach
• About Us
• Find ⁄ Contact Us

E-day 2006 Popsicle-stick Bridge Building Contest

POPSICLE-STICK BRIDGE BUILDING Contact Information: Dr. John Baker: jbaker@engr.uky.edu or (270)534-3123

~One entry form must be submitted for each bridge

Materials:   

Bridges must be made entirely of Popsicle sticks and wood glue. No other materials are allowed. The Popsicle sticks must be standard-sized wooden Popsicle sticks.

Standard-sized Popsicle sticks are approximately 4.5 inches long and 3/8 inches wide. Bridges made from Popsicle sticks that vary significantly in size from the standard

size will be disqualified at the judges' discretion. The Popsicle sticks cannot be altered by cutting, trimming, drilling or other means.

Testing:

A steel "T" will apply the load to the center of the bridge structure on the roadway surface. A load cell will measure the load at which the bridge fails.

Additional Specifications:                   

•  Overall length: 15 in. (min)-17 in. (max)

•  Maximum bridge height: 6 inches

•  Maximum width of roadway: 7 inches

•  There must be a solid, smooth roadway surface along

  the entire length of the bridge.

•  The center of the bridges must be designed to allow for

  testing in the loading device

   Note:    Size restrictions must be met due to the loading device. A bridge not meeting these specifications will be disqualified. A picture of the device is

    supplied below, note the cross-bar suspended from the "S" load cell, this must rest on the road bed.

Judging:

•  Each bridge will be weighed before testing.

•  Bridges will be judged by calculating the bridge efficiency

•  The bridge efficiency is calculated by dividing the bridge

   weight into the maximum load applied to the bridge

  (applied load/weight).

•  The winner will be the bridge with the highest efficiency.