The TRUSTY TRUSSERS achieved first place at the ASCE Rocky Mountain Regional Conference at New Mexico State University in the beginning of April. Karlyn Adams, Luke Frash, Zachary Grabowski, Daniel Kane, Jackye Lagen and Bailey Smith have been working on their 1:10 scale model bridge since September 2009 as their senior design project.The team needs your help to attend the National Student Steel Bridge Competition on May 28th and 29th.
The team started designing the bridge in late November and fabrication began in early January. The team designed a “Wishbone Truss”, a concept not previously seen in competition. This design combines a T-beam, which supports the decking, with a shallow under truss. In order to reduce the total number of members, the bottom of each drop truss is combined into one central member. This allows for quick assembly during competition, reducing the overall competition cost. The Trusty Trussers optimized the design using SolidWorks, RISA analysis, and hand calculations. The bridge was fabricated by the team with assistance from John Jezek in the CSM Engineering Department Machine Shop.
The Trusty Trussers’ “Wishbone Truss” bridge design
The team competed with the other NSSBC team from Mines at Spring Fest, the CSM Steel Bridge competition, in March for an opportunity to attend the ASCE Rocky Mountain Regional Conference. The Trusty Trussers’ minimal number of members and small construction crew allowed the bridge to have the least cost design. The bridge went on to represent CSM at the regional competition in April where CSM took first place.
The team will now advance to the AISC/ASCE National Student Steel Bridge Competition at Purdue University. This will be the first time since 1998 that a School of Mines team will attend this national competition as the Rocky Mountain Regional Champion!
The team requests your help with the costs associated with the competition. Listed below are the costs the team expect to incur:
Gas: $500
Rental Van: $420
Lodging: $500
Registration: $825
Food: $300
GOAL: $3545
Current Progress: $1500
SUPPORT STILL NEEDED: $2045
As a sponsor we would place your logo or name on the competition team shirts, competition poster and the CSM ASCE student chapter website. We would greatly appreciate sponsorships of any amount. For more information please email Karlyn Adams at kadams@mymail.mines.edu or fill out the donation information in the Chapter Sponsorship Brochure (.pdf).
Thank you for your support!
The Trusty Trussers
CSM ASCE Student Chapter