Physics Balsa Bridge Building Contest: balsabridge.com ...next contest: March 12 2013



Major sponsor	All-time winner: 2012-13 Matteo Circo(273.55 kg, 601 lbs) Current Record: 273.55 kg Now more than 1000 photos	balsa (Ochroma lagopus, or O. pyramidale) Contest Cam (open during contest) Bridges of Vancouver, BC Bridge of the Month Contest Contest Sponsors (2012) Bridge basics (pdf)
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Records  Contest Fact Sheet  Student Comments: 1995

	At the 33rd annual contest, held March 12 2013, the Circo family continued its recent domination of top spot. Matteo Circo, winner of the 32nd contest, not only set a new all-time record, he surpassed the previous high mark, set by his brother (see below) by a very wide margin. Leaving nothing to chance, Matteo built his tied arch structure to support an amazing 273.55 kg. For those not inclined to SI units, that corresponds to 601 lbs. When the Circo brothers appeared on the scene the contest record had stood unchallenged for a decade at 209.4 kg. Now they hold three of the top four all-time top spots for this long-running event. (pictures from the 2013 event are still to follow)

	New Contest Record: 220.0 kg

	At the 31st annual contest, held March 15 2011, a ten year-old record was broken as Physics 12 student Gino Circo, the winner of the 2010 contest, blew past the previous mark to set a new record of 219.95 (rounded to 220.0) kg. The previous record had been deemed out of reach by students for the past decade. Gino's bridge, based on his successful structure design from his entry in his Physics 11 year, was copied by others but none of those structures were up to the standards of construction set by this graceful entry.

Additional links <<Physics Links>> ABCD's Bridge Design Tips for Kids AC Supply (commercial site for teaching kits etc.) Ask-a-Scientist Engineering Archive Automated Balsa Bridge Testing at FSU: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Balsa Wood Facts Bridge Basics Bridge Clipart (as collected by balsabridge.com) Bridge Designer Bridge Dictionary Bridge of the Month Contest Bridge Structures and Shapes Bridge terminology BridgeSite.com Bridges from PBS Bridges of Paris Bridges of St. Petersburg (Wikipedia) Bridges Webography from PBS Building Big Forces Lab from PBS Bridge Engineering Glossary from PBS Bridge the Gap (NOVA) from PBS Bridge Photo Gallery Bridge To Classroom (build a bridge and test earthquake effects) Bridges: Worldwide Panorama-September 2004 Brooklyn Bridge Buckland and Taylor BridgePros Building a Medium Girder Bridge (Military application) Building a Medium Girder Bridge: 130th Engineer Brigade Building Model Bridges Following the Engineering Process Civil Engineering Edufacts from BCIT Compact Flash Card Survives Bridge Demolition Conestoga Bridge Building Elmer's Glue Ferris, George: Bridge Engineer and Ferris Wheel Designer Geometry of Bridge Construction George Washington Bridge Golden Gate Bridge Greatest Engineering Achievements of 20th Century How Bridges Work Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge (Wikipedia) Laminating and Bending Balsa Lusas Bridge Software (commercial) Making the Modern World: Bridges Millau Viaduct Model Smart Notable Modern Bridges (Fact Monster) Odyssey of the Mind Balsa Suggestions Physics of Bridges Pitsco Structures Pitsco Testers and Tools Popsicle Stick Contest (Crunchfest) Santiago Calatrava (bridge architect) SC Solutions Bridge SIG Balsa Wood Facts Spaghetti Bridge Contest at Camosun College Steel Bridge Site, U of Wisconsin Structurae: Database and Gallery of Structures Suspension Bridges: Strait of Messina Types of Structures TwigJig: Jigs and Trusses for Toothpick Structures US Coast Guard Bridge Administration West Point Bridge Designer Contest Information Winston Science Bridge Building General Engineering Links (under construction) So you wanna be an engineer (University of Guelph) Engineering Humour/Jokes Wood/Timber Materials Links (under construction) CCA-Pressure Treated Wood: Health Issues CN Rail Bridges Ordered Inspected (CBC article) Pressure Treated Wood (Company site) Timber Bridges (Bridge Builders USA) Wooden Bridges (Wikipedia) Wood Preservation Canada (Industry Association)
	Previous record-holding 100-gram bridge built in 2000 by Physics 12 student Matt Sullivan. This photo was taken after the bridge was put back together from the remnants. A portion of the roadway is missing. In an attempt to reduce overall mass several holes were drilled in the upper portion of the structure. Typical preparation before testing. Bridge is carefully placed on testing beams and testing apparatus is gently lowered into place. Cable in foreground was used to transmit live webcam feed during testing.
	Bridge Breaking Graphic created by Antonio Papalia March 2003
	Matt Sullivan with his award-winning bridge at the trophy presentation ceremony. The trophy, held here by sponsoring teacher Peter Vogel, has been presented annually since 1981. APEGBC, the professional body that governs engineering in this province, has been a contest sponsor since 1999. In 2001 we welcomed Dofasco Steel as a sponsor. For 2002 we welcomed CSCE, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, the UBC Engineering Physics program, GlobalIntercom.com and SFU's School of Engineering Science as sponsors. More recently we have added Buckland and Taylor, one of Canada's most famous bridge design firms, SRC Engineering, Collings Johnston Inc., The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC. Visit our sponsors' page for further information.


	The author with 1997 contest winners Clarissa Gamboa and Vanessa Wong (117.5 kg supported)

Bridge Photographs: 2012 2011 2010 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 [1998 1997 1996] Bridge Records: 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998

Bridge Photographs: 2012 2011 2010 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 [1998 1997 1996]
Bridge Records: 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998