KZN Bridge Building

The 2009 KZN Schools Bridge Building Competition

Once again Vela VKE sponsored the SAICE Model Bridge Building competition for schools. The theme for this year was “Building our future through Science and Technology”. The event was held at the Blue Waters Hotel, Durban in May 2009, where 56 teams from 22 schools took part. Vela VKE saw this as a unique opportunity to showcase the engineering industry and to provide a window into engineering as a career.  The bridges, which were built from 25 x 4mm x 4mm wooden sticks 600mm long and a pack of adhesive, were required to span 780mm (clear). The objective was to carry the maximum test load applied using a specific loading “rig” for each bridge. Bridges weighed less than 200 grams and this year the winning bridge carried an amazing 57 kilograms. The proud winner of this year's event was Fairvale Secondary School. Vela VKE was well represented on the day by Kresen Manicum, Deputy Chairman of  SAICE's Durban branch; Josh Padayachee, Senior Bridge Engineer and Peter Squires. In light of the global shortage of skills and capacity in engineering, particularly structural engineering, Vela VKE was proud to be the main sponsor of this even as well as showcase its experience and expertise as one of the leading consulting engineering companies in Southern Africa.

The 2008 KZN Schools Bridge Building Competition

The 2008 KZN Schools Bridge Building Competition was held in April 2008, amid fierce competition from nearly eighty schools.

The objective was to build a bridge that would withstand the maximum load before collapse, using a pre-prepared ‘kit’ to specified criteria. The kit consists of a couple of dozen 600mm long x 4mm x 4mm strips of wood and wood glue.The criteria for design and testing are provided to contestants, so there’s no excuse if they get things wrong! Criteria include a maximum length and span (interestingly greater than 600mm) and the triangular configuration of the loading equipment. It’s critical that the loader can fit on or into the finished bridge when in position on test supports. Entries are measured for compliance against the criteria set and those that don’t comply are disqualified – yes, this is serious stuff!

This year’s judges were Vela VKE’s own Josh Padayachee and Peter Squires. The judges encouraged and motivated the “budding engineers of tomorrow” by providing valuable advice on bridge construction.

It was interesting to see previous winners come back to try and carry off the trophy again, but lack of attention to detail saw their hopes slide away. Disadvantaged schools worked with immaculate construction technique and the girls-only schools were keen to give the boys a run for their money. Some schools fielded up to three teams, competing not only for the main prize but also against each other.

After almost 6 hours of testing Prof. Phil Everitt announced the winners. They were:
1. Burnwood Secondary Team C – Failure Load 75kg
2. Fairvale Secondary Team A – Failure Load 60kg
3. Glenhaven Secondary Team A – Failure Load 57kg
The innovation/construction award was won by Fairvale SecondaryTeam B, for neat, accurate and symmetrical construction. The winners will go on to the national finals.