Concrete Canoe Competition
History of comptitive
performance:
• 3rd Place Overall (2006)
• 3rd Place Co-Ed Spring (2005)
About the Concrete
Canoe Competition:
The Concrete Canoe competition is an annual competition sponsored by the
American Society of Civil Engineers. The competition is fun way for students
to apply what they have learned in the classroom in order to solve a unique
design problem. In short, each school must design a canoe to be made from
concrete, as well as prepare a paper and presentation detailing the design
process. The schools then compete in various sprint and endurance races.
ASU competes in the Deep South Conference against well known schools such as LSU, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State, LA Tech, and Tulane just to name of few. This year, we placed 3rd overall and also placed in the Men’s Endurance, Women’s’ Endurance and Co-Ed Sprint due largely to the long hours of hard work contributed by Jeremy Manning, Matt Emberton, Bryant Moore, and Jon Skinner.
The most difficult aspect of the competition is developing the concrete
mix design. New rules are set in place each year governing the use and
of cementious materials, fibers, aggregates, water, and admixtures. We
as students must familiarize ourselves with the rules as well as ASTM
standards in order to create a mix design to be used on the canoe. We
must compare data from cylinder break tests and mix ratios in order to
determine the best design. We compare cylinder data in order to design
a mix that is extremely light yet strong.
After finalizing the mix design, construction of the canoe can begin.
We used a wooden frame covered with plastic sheeting as a mold for the
canoe. The formation of the canoe is a tedious process. First the concrete
must be mixed and poured over the frame. This process takes quite some
time and requires many volunteers who aren’t afraid of getting messy.
The competition shows the students the importance of time management,
teamwork, and most importantly, communication. The ability to effectively
communicate ideas is one of the most sought-after qualities of anyone
entering the work force, and this is reflected in the scoring of the competition.
The performance on the paper and presentation is worth more than a team’s
placement in the canoe races. The competition provides a fun and exciting
way for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and
practice skills that are needed in the work force.
spring 2006 Canoe (More Pictures to Come)
