The University of Waterloo Steel Bridge Team was happy to receive and test its new Rebel EMP 215IC multi-process welding unit from ESAB earlier this month. This donation will significantly enhance the capabilities of the team to fabricate their bridge for the 2021 Canadian completion, to take place on London, ON early next year. This welding unit will allow the team to carry out their bridge fabrication using any one of a variety of welding processes, including stick, GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW. The Canadian Student Steel Bridge Competition is supported by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC). It represents a fantastic experiential learning opportunity for civil engineering students, who will do their own design, fabrication, construction, and load testing of a ~20 ft long steel bridge. Through this competition, students get firsthand experience with concepts related to structural analysis and design, metal fabrication (cutting, drilling, welding), construction management, teamwork, and leadership, which cannot be easily replicated in a classroom setting.
Monday, November 18, 2019