From Concrete Products
Lehigh University Team 2 from Bethlehem, Pa., earned top honors, including a $2,000 cash prize, in the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Engineering Student Design Competition, also known as the Big Beam Competition. Now in its 19th year, the national event teaches college and university students important structural engineering skills in an applied learning environment they will use in precast concrete practice throughout their construction careers.
“The PCI Big Beam Competition is an excellent opportunity to integrate a realistic design and testing experience into the class curriculum,” says Professor Clay Naito. “Lehigh University has been fortunate to participate for a number of years with the help of great local precast producers, including our 2018-19 sponsor, [Northeast Precast Products of Cressona, Pa.].”
The competition involves teams of students and their faculty advisors designing, building and testing a 22-ft., precast concrete beam. Local or regional PCI producers provide students with ongoing mentorship. Project entries are judged on the beam’s performance in stress tests that simulate the types of real-life conditions structural building and infrastructure components must endure to ensure life safety, as well as the quality of their analysis and reports plus project overview videos.