Presentation

The ENISE Bridge Challenge is a competition for higher education students to build miniature bridges in the form of wooden models. Each participant must form a team (from 2 to 4 people) and must design, prepare and build their project on D-day in accordance with the specifications provided below. To ensure that your project is as effective as possible on the day, we recommend that you think about the structure of your bridge. A plan of the bridge is also required. The bridges will be assessed according to a number of criteria, then loaded until they break down the morning after they are built.

The event will take place on 6 and 7 April 2024 at Place Jean-Jaurès in Saint-Etienne.

Course of the challenge :

-April 6th :  

8.30 am: Welcome of participants

9am-6pm: Building models

8pm: Dinner and party organised by the association

-April 7th:       

9am: Jury passes through

10.30am: Destruction of the bridges

1.30pm: Prize-giving ceremony

Calendar

• Registration will take place on our website under the tab “registration: https://www.bridge-challenge-enise.fr/

• Entries will open on 18 January 2024 and close on 15 March However, if the maximum number of teams we can accommodate (around 25 teams) is reached, registration will close earlier.

• To validate your registration, you will need to send payment of the registration fee together with a photocopy of the student card of each member of the team. This should be sent to the following address before 15 March 2023: bridgechallenge@enise.fr Bridge Challenge ENISE 58 rue Jean Parot 42100 Saint-Etienne

• The ENISE Bridge Challenge will take place on the weekend of 6 and 7 April 2024 in Saint-Etienne, Place Jean Jaurès.

Registration fees

The registration fee allows participation in the competition. They will be increased after the deadline of 1^er March 2024. If you require accommodation, you will be asked to pay an additional fee when you register.

* Accommodation on Friday evening and/or Saturday and/or Sunday evening adds a supplement per person per night. (This figure will be communicated to you shortly)

** Accommodation on Friday evening and/or Saturday and/or Sunday evening adds a supplement per person per night. (This figure will be communicated to you shortly)

Payment is by bank transfer (assoconnect platform)

2024 categories

As announced in 2020. This year’s competition will be divided into two categories: architecture and resistance.

Only teams choosing the resistance category will have their bridge loaded. Models in the architecture category will not be loaded or destroyed. The best bridge in the architecture category will be awarded the architecture prize. The best bridge in the resistance category will be awarded the resistance prize.

Finally, all the bridges will be judged to determine the Engineering Award and the People’s Choice Award.

Materials (common to both tests).

• 1 medium board for the deck with the following dimensions:

• 1 OSB plank for the deck base Ep 30 l. 610 l. 2000
• 1 siporex cellular concrete block 200x250x320 (height), 1 block 250x200x250 and 1 block 200x250x180
• 1 jar of wood glue (approx. 160g), 1 tube of super glue (6g), cooking line (10m), 3kg fishing line (40m long).
• Balsa in the form of sticks 1m long, with different cross-sections (see table).

The total weight is 299.46 grams.

All materials (glue, balsa wood, rope, etc.) other than those supplied are strictly forbidden and will result in disqualification.

All materials (such as nails, screws, etc.) are authorised but must not be present on the bridge: they should only be used to help build it.

All electrical equipment (screwdrivers, drills, etc.) is prohibited.

Teams competing in the architecture category may be provided with extra glue if required.

Rules (common to both events) :

Base :

The siporex blocks (200x250x320 and 200x250x180) will serve as abutments for the bridge. They will be placed 1300mm apart. A pier consisting of a 250x200x250 block is placed equidistant from the two abutments. As shown in the diagrams below:

Architecture category:

Teams choosing the architecture category will compete against teams in the same category. They will not be pitted against those who have chosen to compete in the strength category. The bridges will therefore not be loaded until they break and will be destroyed at the end of the competition.

Resistance category:

Teams choosing the balsa strength category will be pitted against each other. At the end of the competition, the bridges will be loaded with weights ranging from 2.5kg to 5kg until they break linearly. The weights will be loaded as follows: 1, then 2, 3, etc,

The bridge that withstood the greatest load will be awarded the resistance prize. The structure will be deemed to have broken when one of the stacked weights falls due to structural instability or structural failure. If a bridge does not break after placing all the weights at our disposal, the team will obtain the maximum mark on the strength assessment.

Constraints :

• The span of the bridge will be 1300 mm. It is forbidden to reduce this span by cutting the medium plank. The deck must be laid parallel to the ground. If this condition is not met, the bridge will be disqualified from the strength test.

• It is possible to sand the siporex blocks only on the upper face of the siporex blocks for a maximum of 1.5cm. However, the bridge deck must be at least 39cm from the OSB board, and it is forbidden to re-use the off-cuts of siporex to build the bridge.

• For bridges weighing less than 300g, an area of 100*1300 mm on the deck must remain free for loading.

• OSB cannot be cut or drilled.

• The deck planking can be cut and drilled, but the resulting material cannot be used to reinforce the bridge. The deck must have a minimum span length of 1300mm for all bridges and must be parallel to the ground.

• The balsa strips must never rest on the OSB board.

• Kitchen wire and fishing line cannot be used as deck reinforcements. They can only be used in cable-stayed bridges, sub-stayed bridges, suspension bridges, etc.

• Only siporex blocks can be painted.

• It is permitted but not compulsory to use the central siporex block for support.

ANYTHING THAT IS NOT AUTHORISED IS FORBIDDEN!

Competition

Each group will produce a poster presenting its bridge (architectural and structural choices as well as plans of the bridge) before the competition date, which will be displayed during the competition.

Scoring grid :

The bridges will be judged by a panel of architects and engineers, using the following scoring system:

Engineering (30 points)

1. Feasibility of the bridge in reality : 10 points
2. Relevance of the structure (Good use of a beam, etc.) : 10points
3. Justification of technical choices : 10 points

Architecture (30 points)

1. Quality of the model’s finish (smudged glue, badly cut wood, etc.) : 10points
2. Harmony of structure (Proportion)  :10points
3. Architectural innovation : 10 points

Awards

The winning team members in each category will receive a prize.

Return of the models

Participants will not be able to pick up their models.

Those that are not destroyed will be kept by the organising team and used to publicise the competition.

Acceptance of the rules

Entry in the competition implies acceptance of all the terms of these rules. Participants undertake to take part in the entire production of the model on 6 and 7 April 2024.

Intellectual property

Participants agree to accept, without any claim to remuneration or reward, the publication of their identity and the presentation of their project for informational, promotional or media purposes, in the context of this operation, whatever the method of dissemination of this information (brochures, leaflets, flyers, posters, press articles, website, etc.).

Each candidate agrees to grant the organiser and its partners the right to use their image, first name and surname free of charge for the purposes of photographs, interviews or videos taken during the competition and which may be used by the organiser and its partners to promote this operation (internal and external communication, print, video, internet, etc.).

However, the organiser undertakes not to distribute participants’ contact details to third parties without their consent.

Possible changes

The organiser reserves the right to modify these rules at any time and to make any decisions it deems useful for the application and interpretation of the rules. The organiser may inform the participants and their legal representatives by any means it chooses. The organiser also reserves the right to modify, extend, shorten, suspend or cancel the competition, without prior notice, for any reason whatsoever. In particular, the organiser reserves the right, if necessary, to invalidate and/or cancel any part of the competition if it appears that fraud or malfunctions have occurred in any form whatsoever in connection with participation in the competition or the determination of the winners. In such a case, it reserves the right not to award the prize(s) to the fraudsters and/or to prosecute the perpetrators of such fraud before the competent courts. Any fraud will result in the immediate disqualification of its perpetrator. The organiser and its partners may not be held liable for any of the foregoing and participants and their legal representatives may not claim any compensation or indemnity of any kind whatsoever.

Information technology and civil liberties

Participants are reminded that in order to take part in the competition, they must provide certain personal details (surname, first name, email address, telephone number, etc.).

The purpose of collecting this personal information is to ensure that the competition runs smoothly. This information is recorded and saved in a computer file for the time necessary to take into account their participation, to determine the winners’ names and to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.

winners and the awarding of prizes. This information is intended for the organiser. Failure to provide this information will result in participation in the competition not being possible. It will not be kept beyond the announcement of the results.

In application of law no. 78-17 of 6 January 1978 relating to information technology, files and civil liberties, participants have the right to oppose, access, rectify and delete data concerning them. To exercise these rights, participants or their legal representatives should send a letter to the address of the Bridge Challenge ENISE association (see the “About us” page of the website).