Benji, Amy and Megan from Kaniva College came first – their bridge supported 115kg.
Source: Museum Victoria
During this year's simultaneous Science Week and Engineering Week, Scienceworks once again hosted the annual Connell Wagner Bridge Building competition.
Renamed the 'bridge breaking competition' by some, teams of three Year 8 and 9 students from 55 schools across Victoria built then tested their bridges to the point of destruction.
Held on 16 August, this gladiatorial event in the Scienceworks amphitheatre was punctuated by the cheers of 165 students and their teachers, as weights loaded onto their bridges caused the wood, string and glue constructions to crumple and snap.
Competing schools each received a pack containing materials and specifications approximately three weeks before judging day. This year's pack contained 12 balsa wood sticks, two balsa wood sheets, three metres of string and one tube of quick-drying epoxy glue; the materials themselves having a total mass of about 200 grams.
Having built their bridges during maths and science classes, students then brought them to Scienceworks for testing. Placed between two supports, each bridge had a rig suspended from it, upon which weights ranging from one to five kilograms were hung until the structure’s breaking point was reached.
Bridges were also judged on aesthetics by the representatives from Connell Wagner, Vic Roads and Connex.
This year's winner was Kaniva College, whose bridge supported 115 kg, securing $1000 for their school. Staff from Connell Wagner and Vic Roads also built bridges, with Kaniva's entry beating two built by Connell Wagner engineers! Reassuringly, the Vic Roads bridge was found to support 159 kg.