The Troitsky Bridge Building Competition is an annual event that takes place at

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

in the spring. Participating teams of engineering students come from universities across

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. They design and build model bridges out of popsicle sticks, toothpicks, white glue and dental floss.

History

The competition began in the 1960s when Dr. Michael S. Troitsky, a professor in the

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

Department of Sir George Williams University spoke with students in his bridge design class about building bridge models similar to those in their course work. Students then began building small-scale bridge models using wood and glue. By 1984, the department had become th
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering (BCEE)
of

and held the First Annual Bridge Building Competition. Initially, the contest was only open to Civil Engineering students enrolled at Concordia. Later the event expanded to include other universities in the province of Quebec, then those across Canada. In 1991, the competition included its first international teams, from the United States. In 1990, the 1988 Civil Engineering graduating class created an award for most innovative concept, and dedicated it to the memory of Lars Rowland, an alumnus who completed his B.Eng in 1988 at Concordia and was working as a civil engineer for

Canadair Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. In 1986, its assets were acquired by Bombardier Aerospace, the aviation division of Canadian transport conglomerate Bombardier Inc. Canadair's origins lie in the establishm ...

when he died in 1990 piloting his plane. The inscription reads: :"May his creativity, compassion, and love of life serve to inspire you, as it has us, in the pursuit of your dreams." The Crusher, the hydraulic press which tests the strength of each bridge and is the focal point of the competition, has a history of its own. The original Crusher was a

hydraulic device Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

which, after ten years of service, was damaged beyond repair in 1994 - exploding

hydraulic fluid A hydraulic fluid or hydraulic liquid is the medium by which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water. Examples of equipment that might use hydraulic fluids are excavators and backhoe ...

all over the judges and competitors while attempting to crush the truss-bridge designed b
Hugues Rivard
who was a Masters student at BCEE. A mark remains on the ceiling of the Hall Building Alumni Auditorium from the incident, and the real capacity of Rivard's bridge remains a mystery. The next Crusher was a donation from Wainbee in 1994. It was a

screw jack A jackscrew, or screw jack, is a type of jack that is operated by turning a leadscrew. It is commonly used to lift moderately and heavy weights, such as vehicles; to raise and lower the horizontal stabilizers of aircraft; and as adjustable suppo ...

style mechanism controlled by a computer. It could apply loads of up to 6000 pounds. In 2000, Mechtronix Inc. donated a new Crusher, which has a 10-ton capacity. During the 2000 competition, a bridge resisted up to 1860 kgf. The winner, however, is the one that has the highest overall score in terms of capacity, esthetic value, and originality. For the 2010 competition a brand new crusher donated by Concordia's department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering and is follows its origins and is again a hydraulic jack.

Recent Competitions

2006 competition

The 2006 competition was held on March 10. Over 40 teams participated in the event. Pictures of the event can be see
here
an
here
A short video of the competition can be seen on Discovery Channels pag
here

2007 Competition

The 2007 Competition took place on March 2, 2007
Picture gallery

2010 Competition

The 2010 Competition took place on March 5, 2010. The pictures of the event can be see
here

2012 Competition

The 2012 Competition took place on March 2, 2012.

2013 Competition

The 2013 Competition took place on March 1 and 2, 2013.

2014 Competition

2015 Competition

2016 Competition

Winning Team - Mcmaster University: Mike Sucharda, Neil MacPhee, Daniel LeeKim, Matt East, Trever Reade, and Cuirin Cantwell. March 5, 2016.

2017 Competition

Winning Team - Mcmaster University: Cody VanDerKooi, Brett Pajor, Eric Nogard, Jessica Middleton, Carley German, and Matthew Winters. March 5, 2017.

2018 Competition

Winning Team - Mcmaster University: Cody VanDerKooi, Zach Gerber, Eric Nogard, Andreas Zbogar, Carley German, and Matthew Winters. March 4, 2018.

2019 Competition

2020 Competition

Winning Team- University of Toronto: Aidan Ashton, Camilo Dugand, Naomi Tian, Sydney Ng, Kent Straky, Fahd Mohammed. March 1, 2020

2021 Competition

Winning Team- University of Toronto: Aidan Ashton, Camilo Dugand, Naomi Tian, Sydney Ng, Kent Straky, Fahd Mohammed. March 7, 2021

References

External links

Engineering & Computer Science Association's WebsiteOfficial Troitsky Bridge Building Competition Site
{{Concordia University Concordia University Competitions in Canada Spring (season) events in Canada