UNS – Three Civil Engineering students from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, competing as the “Semar Mesem” team, brought pride to their university by securing first place in the Bridge Modelling Competition for College (BMCC) during CivilWeek 2024. The talented team, comprising Farrel Titan Pramita, Baron Pranoto, and Khofifah Mutia Risanti, was mentored by Dr. Eng. Ir. Halwan Alfisa Saifullah, S.T., M.T.

CivilWeek 2024, organized by the Civil Engineering Student Association (HMS) of UNS, is an annual international event featuring competitions and activities in civil engineering for both high school students and university-level participants. Key events include the International Concrete Competition, National Tender Competition, Building Design Competition, National Paper Competition, National Geotechnic Competition, an international seminar, Divine, and the Bridge Modelling Competitions for both high schools and colleges.

“The competition follows the typical format of balsa bridge modeling, where participants construct a bridge prototype using balsa wood within specified dimensions outlined in the Terms of Reference (TOR). The bridge is designed to span a predefined gap and is subjected to a constant load using aggregates until it breaks. The scoring focuses on efficiency, calculated as the load the bridge can bear divided by the weight of the prototype,” Farrel Titan explained during an interview on Monday (2/12/2024).

Farrel further detailed that BMCC consists of elimination and final stages. The elimination phase, conducted online, involved creating a bridge outline, including its design, structural system, structural modeling, structural analysis using software, detailed engineering design, and submission of the balsa bridge prototype for load testing. The top 10 teams with the highest scores in the outline and load efficiency advanced to the finals. Semar Mesem secured fourth place in the elimination round, earning a spot in the finals.

During the final stage, held offline, scoring encompassed proposal evaluation, presentation, and efficiency. The Semar Mesem team achieved a total score of 74,14%, securing first place in the BMCC CivilWeek 2024. Their preparation involved meticulous design, structural analysis to identify the most efficient bridge, presentation rehearsals, and prototype assembly practice.

“This competition was quite challenging because, unlike typical setups where the load plate is placed at the center of the bridge, the TOR specified that the load plates be positioned 5 centimeters to the left and 7 centimeters to the right of the bridge’s central axis. During the final, the loading plate used was randomly selected. After several trials, we achieved a great result. Our bridge recorded the highest efficiency score of 2.037, with a bridge weight of 30,06 grams supporting a load of 61.235 kilograms,” Farrel shared.

The team expressed immense joy at exceeding their expectations. Despite some unsatisfactory trial results during preparation, they delivered an outstanding performance in the finals. “This achievement is the result of a combination of hard work and prayers. To our friends, stay determined and never give up on trying,” Farrel encouraged. HUMAS UNS