Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Halloween Mtg. & 11/4 Analysis

10/31

Happy Halloween everybody!

Real quickly today we talked about two truss designs we're going to analyze this Saturday before the Aggies take on North Dakota State at the Toom. They're primarily built for speed, and have a LOT of construction options on them, as well as a stellar structural profile. If they analyze well, we may very well have finished our truss analysis for the season. Kickoff for the game is 1:05 p.m. local.

Open bay beams will be analyzed in conjunction with the structural optimization class (ECI 153) on campus. Chosen for their relative simplicity (and absolute boringness), the class should be able to spit some numbers back at us, that we more or less already know. The key to the beams functioning structurally, as with any design, but moreso on beams, is their connection solidarity. They may even have to be structurally bolted to work well, dovetails may leave too much play. Then there's the idea of multiple beam-type bridges.

So...this Saturday, 11/4, at 9:30 a.m. we'll meet in the Chrome Ollie Loft in 1203 Bainer Hall, then trek over to EUIII on the 3rd floor student labs where we will input AutoCAD wireframes in SAP 2000 and analyze those two truss designs with the section sizes we think we can get our hands on in 4130 alloy. We may have to hit up the mother supplier in Dillsburg to find what we need and/or want. i.e. wide/thin-wall material. The SAP procedure is pretty simple, it's step by step, and the more you do it the more you'll see how easy it is.

Jessica will work on OT collars soon. They're pretty basic lathe stuff, nothing fancy, but we need to get tolerances down to acceptable levels now, so it won't stall us this winter.

Okay then, time to start charging ahead, let's continue to think and be creative, we have a lot to decide on in the next 5 weeks...

Friday, October 27, 2006

10/24 Meeting & THIS Saturday

Hey gang,

On Tuesday, 10/24 we had a Rules quiz. We covered the absolute fundamental things everybody on the Team needs to know in the Quiz. Basic dimensions and design envelope, member requirements, some basic construction considerations, as well as others.

Correct answers got rewarded with some nice Scooby Snacks, wrong answers were punished with the usual caning across the back. Despite the punishment, most everybody was willing to try for the answer, which was refreshing.

THIS Saturday 10/28 at 10 a.m. -- we'll have a very serious and considerate design/analysis meeting. Hopefully, Matt will have design packages ready for analysis, as well as design folders for each new member detailing the many bridge types we have on the platter this fall. Analysis should go quickly once we get going as it has been streamlined to the bare necessities over the past 4 seasons...now it's just a matter of monitoring weight (including weld and connection weight), and fine tuning the fabrication process yet again.

Notes on fab:
1. We're going to try to get that girder/or truss deck up to it's maximum depth possible. This will require a mock up model of the new, uber-efficient dovetail design with the advanced alloy form Pierce-Spafford or ABC in Sac.

2. We need to plan for the possibility of a floor-flat welding procedure of a truss if that design is chosen. The NDSU procedure looked awesome, it's like doing a beam, just on a bigger scale, and it will alleviate the need for excess clamping (though there is not such a thing), but it will help keep things from falling on our craniums.

3. Need to make OT collars.

4. Need to re-examine Dovetail redundancy :(i.e. fab/test/research/analysis/results/implementation of new sizes) -- added depth means less axial force, so we don't need as much DT mass as before. Beams are another story.

Okay, one day at a time, non-stop, push to perfection, Unity! (yes, I'm doing the Dave Chappelle voice) Chrome Ollie por vida.

p.s. - for the unmotivated: Chico beat us at Nationals last season, let alone 7 other teams, GET ASSIGNMENTS, GET IN THE LAB, GET IN THE SHOP!!! GET 'ER DONE!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

10/17 general meeting # 2 notes

Alrighty!

We talked a little about construction first thing on Tuesday. We went over the basics of the site plan, staging areas, rivers, penalties etc. etc. After getting a look at the 2005 site plan, we watched the UC Davis 2005 construction run in Orlando, all 3 min. and 38 seconds of it, point out some basic rules, tool ideas, penalty concerns, what's different fom that year to this year, and basically got a feel for how the construction run goes.

After watching the 2005 UC Davis run, we watched the 2006 University of Florida run from Gainesville. We discussed the main rule changes from 2005 to 2006, how the course was different, and asymmetry played a part in the construction sequence, the need to make things reachable, yet keep the bridge stiff as a whole, etc. etc.

When film was concluded, we went out to the front of Bainer to check out the 2007 Construction course, got a feel for the size of it, the distances needed to be travelled, the friggin' walls that will be in the way, the bigger pier boxes, the 9 foot river, the basic span length and lack of skew as in the previous (2K5 & 2K6) years. Questions were answered, and then we moved on to a design rant by Matt.

Matt explained the basics of bridge design which primarily are driven by the Scoring. We noted how Construction as well as Structural Efficiency measured the value of a bridge. Both of these issues must be addressed to have a good bridge.

Going from the bottom up, or simplest to most complex, some bridge ideas were set forth by Matt, from beams, to stacked beams, to multiple beams. to trusses, the bridge type selection will be an interesting choice.

Connections, Analysis Methods, Scoring Scenarios, Steel Sizes we typically use, and Member Layouts will all be discussed next time, Tuesday, October, 24th, at 6:10 pm starting in 1213 Bainer. There will also be a Rules quiz, with a reward for the Top 5 Scores, ties included!

Analysis will also start Saturday, October 28th, in EUIII, we'll pick some bridges on Tuesday, the 24th for analysis, and we'll go through the basic SAP2000 input procedure. Anybody wishing to stay and optimize is welcome to on Sat the 28th!!!

Okay, that's it for now, READ THOSE RULES, highlight them if it helps, if you have questions, email the captains or email the rules committee on the AISC website below (just go to Question Submittal Form), though for basic stuff I'm sure returners can answer the Q's just fine:

http://www.aisc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Learning_Opportunities/University_Programs/Student_Competitions1/AISC_Student_Steel_Bridge_Competition/Default329.htm

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

New Stuff

10/10 Tuesday General Meeting was great. A lot of young blood showed up, and we got to talk a little bit about the competition, what it involves, and the need to read and understand the Rules. We also took a look at last year's Bridge and answered some design/analysis/fabrication questions.

Next Meeting will again be on Tuesday, 10/17, at 6:10 p.m. in 1213 Bainer (and later out in front of Bainer Hall - on the East side of the building).

We'll head out to the front of Bainer and get a look at the 2007 Construction site, maybe watch some film and answer some more questions. We'll probably start talking design and analysis very soon too, most likely Saturday 10/21!

Hope to see everyone again, hang in there!

ICE CREAM SOCIAL, THUR, 10/14

College of Engineering Ice Cream Social:

Thursday, October 12, 2006. 2:30 - 4 p.m. Kemper Courtyard.

We'll have the 2006 Bridge up and on display.

Matt will be there to help set up, anybody else, meet in the Bridge room at around 1:45 pm.