Boredom

There isn't much going on in Steel Bridge Nation right now, so I thought I'd post about how there is nothing to post about. I bet your glad you read this.

End of the Year BBQ

It was good to see everyone who could make it out to the first annual UMKC Steel Bridge BBQ, we look forward to making it a tradition to honor and thank all of the sponsors, alumni, faculty, and team for another great year. We would be remissed if we didn't take another oppurtunity to thank all of our wonderful sponsors, without you UMKC Steel Bridge wouldn't be possible.

2007 UMKC Steel Bridge

The Final Stats for the 2007 Bridge.



Mid-Continent Regional Competition (Lawrence, KS)

• Construction Speed - 1st (6.76 min. OUCH! those penalties hurt.)


• Lightness - 5th (258 lbs, Might want to mix in a salad.)


• Display - 2nd


• Stiffness - 1st (.35", Very impressive if we don't say so ourselves.)


• Economy - 1st


• Efficiency - 2nd (By 3 lbs, Why did we waste our time with that clear coat?)

• Overall - 1st (Can you say "Repeat"?)

Who doesn't love steel bridge competition in a closet, errrrrr... Knights of Columbus Building, the wood paneling, 70's Sconces, and 8' drop ceilings just added to the ambiance of Lawrence.

We performed admirably at Regionals, minus one "Nutsplosion", and showed off some unbelievable athleticism (those that were there know what we're talking about, but we were never concerned... Right, Captain?). Questionable judging was everywhere, a firm command of the rules and clarifications was certainly rewarded. Why can't we get the same group of judges every year?

There was certainly room for improvement on our part especially in the weight and penalty departments.

2007 NSSBC (Northridge, CA)

• Construction Speed - 20th (5.72 min. Almost flawless, except for one drop by yours truly. Wait, ah crap didn't push that ridiculous centerline piece all the way down (what the hell is that thing doing anyways) 50 lbs. later all hopes of a top ten finish were dashed.)


• Lightness - 33rd (316 lbs - 50 lbs (Weight Penalty) = 266 lbs, What? Our once overweight bridge is now morbidly obese. This after we spent a month shaving 14 lbs. in the shop, if all the scales in California read like the NSSBC's, it's no wonder Californians have self esteem issues).


• Display - 27th (Embrace the rust it is your friend)


• Stiffness - 19th (.82", A bad load case and a month more of construction combine to hurt the stiffness a bit).


• Economy - 15th (Not bad considering the bridge type and the number of beams in front of us).


• Efficiency - 29th

Well an unlucky day went from bad to worse to terrible. In a year when lightness was certainly rewarded (9 out of top 10 Overall were in the top ten in lightness), we were way to heavy compounded by the weight penalty and it all adds up to a disappointing finish to an otherwise quality year. Plenty of lessons were learned and we're looking forward to capitalizing next year on another year of knowledge.

2007 Nationals Recap

Well, L.A. was plenty warm and a nice change of pace for us "Missour'a Farm Boys" (Yes, West Virginia we have cities here with running water and electricity, the whole bit. If you don't get the sarcasm I'm sorry you must be from one of the coasts). But the 25 hour drive was a little out of control.

The competition went something like this:

1. North Dakota State: One hundred and sixteen pounds, and it didn't look a pound over 80. Light, fast, and efficient, What is there to say besides they're the best, again?
   



2. UC Davis: More of the same from this rising powerhouse, dovetails all around and bolt consolidation like no one else. The Dove Tail Tools were out in full force with a flawless construction. They got a little fortunate on the load case (as were many with similar center focused trusses), but that's the way it goes. Not top three in any one category just an all around fantastic bridge.


3. University of Wisconsin Madison: Another very nice showing by the Badgers with a lighting fast construction, 4.02 minutes are you kidding me, and no one got dragged across the floor this year. 1st in Aesthetics and for good reason, although that thing probably got a little warm in the California sun.
   

   Eerily Reminiscent of Last Year's #1.



4. Lakehead University: That was a nice beam, eh'. Fast and light the Canadians from Lakehead were the best of the beams. Some nice pin striping as well.

Other notables, UC-San Diego gets the What the heck is that Award? A very nice job thinking outside the box by those guys and gals. The Yellow Jackets also went away from tradition with some bent plate webbing complimented nicely by a flat black and gold paint job. The folks from SUNY - Canton get our compliments for another strong showing (from a fellow tiny engineering program) and a heck of a nice group of people.

Many thanks go out to the students and faculty at Northridge for bringing it all together.

Welcome

Welcome to the UMKC Steel Bridge Blog Site. I think we'll give this a go for a while in the offseason, see if we can be productive, hopefully I can find time to keep it updated during the season.