Nov 6 2009
Specialists in the use of titanium told some 50 college students at a design competition site visit late last week at The University of Akron that they can express extraordinary creativity in designing the first pedestrian bridge in America made of rust-proof and exceptionally strong titanium.
"You can be as imaginative as you want in the use of this incredible Space Age metal, while fashioning a project that will benefit society," said Gary Nemchock, president of Architectural Titanium of Lawrence, Kansas.
Nemchock, an adviser to architect Frank Gehry in his celebrated titanium-sheathed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, addressed students and faculty representing 17 teams and 11 colleges about the proposed titanium pedestrian bridge sponsored by The Defense Metals Technology Center (DMTC) of North Canton and The University of Akron.
Other speakers were Charles D. Clark, Executive Director of the DMTC; Ted Curtis, Vice President of Capital Planning, The University of Akron, and Stan Seagle, an Ohio titanium consultant.
Designing the bridge will help solve a logistical problem at the Quaker Square Inn at the University of Akron, which serves as a residence hall, hotel, and conference center. The complex is fenced off from the main University of Akron campus by CSX railroad tracks. This forces pedestrians to use remote bridges to access the main campus.
Titanium has advantages over other metals. It weighs much less than steel, yet is just as strong. It does not rust and is corrosion-resistant to sea water and chlorine. Many experts believe that bridges secured with titanium would be better protected against a possible collapse than conventional steel-supported bridges.
Government and private funding will be sought for the bridge construction after the competition. The DMTC hopes the bridge will demonstrate the versatility of titanium and make the metal more affordable in life-saving military armament.
In 2007, Congress funded the DMTC, headquartered at Stark State College, as a U.S. Army Center of Excellence. The goal: to find innovative, cost-saving techniques for the use of specialty metals and to improve the military's security and America's economy.
The students are from institutions largely in what the DMTC calls America's Metals Heartland -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, eastern Indiana, southeast Michigan, northern Kentucky, and northern West Virginia.
Participating are Ball State University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, Miami University, Purdue University, Stevens Institute of Technology, the University of Akron, the University of Detroit Mercy, University of Notre Dame, University of Pittsburgh, and Youngstown State University.
As an incentive, the DMTC will provide scholarship money to students on the First and Second Place and Honorable Mention teams. It also will convey grants to the winning institutions for the study of specialty metals in commercial applications.
Judges will winnow the submissions -- due January 29, 2010 - to five finalists and announce the winners at a dinner at The University of Akron Infocision Stadium - Summa Field in late May, 2010.
Source: http://www.defensemetals.org/dmtc/app/home