On Friday, 10 Plymouth High School students attended the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Purdue University Bridge Bust Competition in West Lafayette.
Students were Danika Brenneman, Sara Gunter, Chloe Krupp, Sophie Houin, Eleanor Brashere, Angelique Oviedo, Gage Birchmeier, Trey Pletcher, Alexis Pike and Leana Reconco. This was the first time competing in this competition for 9 of the PHS students.
For Bridge Bust, teams assemble their bridges from 20 sticks of balsa wood and a bottle of glue. Most bridges are approximately 2 feet long and 8 inches high.
There were 3 categories the teams were judged in, Structural Efficiency, Aesthetics, and Presentation.
Structural Efficiency is measured by: the load held (lbs) x 453.592)/ mass of the bridge (grams). Loading efficiency was determined by pouring cups of sand into buckets hanging from the bridges. The bridge that holds the most weight relative to its own weight wins the category.
This year there were 57 bridges from various schools throughout Indiana and Mid-Eastern Illinois.
The results of PHS students were for Structural Efficiency:
8th place-Trey Pletcher – Structural Efficiency 246.52
19th place – Eleanor Brashere & Angelique Oviedo – Structural Efficiency 162.45
22nd place – Danika Brenneman & Sara Gunter – Structural Efficiency 152.19
Aesthetics:
18th – Danika Brenneman & Sara Gunter – Score 23/25
29th – Leana Reconco & Alexis Pike – Score 22/25
30th – Eleanor Brashere & Angelique Oviedo – Score 22/25
31st – Trey Pletcher – Score 22/25
Presentations:
19th – Danika Brenneman & Sara Gunter – 22/30
31st – Eleanor Brashere & Angelique Oviedo – 17.5/30
