The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) will host the final of its building competition in Advanced Engineering, which takes place on 1st – 2nd November 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham.
The contest aims to provide a practical composite engineering challenge through Young Engineers and Students (YES), where the entrants will be challenged to create a suitable structure and display it at the show.
This year, each team must apply their composites knowledge and creativity to design and construct a bridge capable of spanning a one metre gap while resisting simple weights. The winner will be the bridge that meets all the specified guidelines and withstands the greatest load before failure. All teams will receive a sustainable composite material kit supplied by sponsors, ensuring equal terms for all participants.
Previous competitions have featured impressive achievements such as the tallest load-bearing composite tower, the longest spanning composite bridge, and the construction of a composite crash structure. This competition enables teams to gain valuable experience for their careers, including teamwork, materials manufacturing and processing, managing technical requirements, networking, and public speaking.
SAMPE is a global professional organisation with over 15,000 members across 40 chapters worldwide, dedicated to enabling growth and innovation in advanced material sectors. One of SAMPE’s objectives is to foster technical excellence in the UK by promoting interest in new materials and processes within the composites community, while facilitating networking with tomorrow’s engineers.
“We would like to highlight the greener materials that our contestants are using in line with the sustainability commitment of Advanced Engineering,” commented Tim Wybrow, Chairman of SAMPE UK & Ireland. “Some of the sustainable initiatives of the event include reusable stands, a sustainability trail showcasing eco-friendly solutions from exhibitors, and digital guides to reduce paper waste, among others.”
