ASCE Bridge Competition

This project was awarded "Best Design" at the ASCE 2026 Student Symposium!

Problem

A competition bridge can’t just look good on the table; it has to survive real loading without excessive deflection or failure at connections. We had to balance a structurally efficient framework with an intentional aesthetic, while still staying within printing constraints, assembly tolerances, and competition rules.

Solution

We developed an award-winning bridge by running an iterative workflow across Onshape, SimScale, SOLIDWORKS, and Fusion 360 to converge on a geometry that was both strong and manufacturable. Static FEA informed member sizing and connection detailing, while CAD-driven revisions ensured the final design printed cleanly and assembled reliably.

Our project focused on performance under load and clean execution. We combined structural engineering judgment with iterative CAD-to-print development to produce a build that could be tested, refined, and defended with data.

The backbone of the project was simulation-driven iteration: we used SimScale to run static structural analysis on both individual components and the full superstructure to identify critical stress paths and weak points early. We translated those results into targeted design changes, then validated performance through repeated load calculations and physical testing until the bridge met strength goals without sacrificing aesthetics.

Year

2025-2026

Timeframe

2 weeks

Tools

Onshape, Fusion 360, SIMScale, SolidWorks