College students got some real-world engineering experience in a cold-formed steel design contest. Sponsors of the 2013 International Student Competition on Cold-Formed Steel Design, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI), the National Science Foundation and the University of North Texas announced the winners on Dec. 30.
Students were asked to design an open section shape for an 8-inch-deep, 25-foot-long, flexural member that provides adequate nominal bending strength and utilizes the least possible material. Eight institutions in Canada, China, Iran, Thailand and the U.S. submitted 55 entries to the University of North Texas, which hosted the competition.
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Junle Cai, Virginia Tech student. |
Junle Cai, Virginia Tech student, Blacksburg, Va., placed first, Colin Van Niejenhuis, University of Waterloo student, Canada, placed second and Yu Gao, Virginia Tech student, placed third.
Jay Larson, PE, F.ASCE, managing director of AISI’s Construction Technical Program, says students were challenged to provide a design solution they could encounter in the workplace, and they were pleased to have more international entries than in previous years.
“They were required to design a cross-sectional shape for a floor joist that could accommodate the installation of both floor decking and ceiling panels, using standard steel thicknesses,” Larson says. “Many excellent entries were submitted.”
The steel design competition is intended to promote higher education in cold-formed steel structural design, according to AISI, and encourage students to use creative thinking skills to solve engineering problems.
The top three winners receive monetary awards and plaques, and their designs will be exhibited at various conferences in 2014. The top 10 students in the contest receive one-year student memberships in the CFSEI. Winning designs are posted at www.cfscompetition.unt.edu.
The cold-formed steel design competition began in April, entries were due in September, and the panel of judges comprised of Yared Shifferaw Bayleyegn, Ph.D., assistant professor, Drexel University; Rick Haws, PE, NBS Group Services, a NUCOR Company; Roger A. LaBoube, Ph.D., PE, distinguished teaching professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and director of Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures; Yuanqi Li, Ph.D., professor, Tongji University, China; and Cheng Yu, Ph.D., associate professor, University of North Texas.
Yu, who organized the competition, says they congratulated the finalists and appreciated the time and effort it took the contestants to submit designs.
“We welcome ideas and suggestions for future competitions and look forward to participating in this event again next year,” Yu says.