"Rochester Institute of Technology"
(20th place overall; 22nd in paper; 15th in presentation; 19th in product)

Presentation:

RIT described “Phase II” and two female and one male team memer gave the presentation.  

The team began by describing the hull design and the attributes of the boat.  The tools for analysis were given prior to outlining the steps taken to construct the hull.  Mix design came next and the team nicely described why the various constituents were used.

The judges commented that there seemed to be a discrepancy between the assumptions made in different phases of the analysis.  Can you explain that?

Did you take a safety factor into account and what would you consider reasonable?  What form of micro-silica was used in the mix design and how were the properties of the material determined?  Why did you place your reinforcement at 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the canoe?  Were the fiberglass strips precut or did you trim the edges cut afterward?  

Why do you appoint two team captains?  Why were there no shrinkage cracks when you dry cured your concrete?  What size panels were tested and what were the constraints?  The critical load was based on four paddlers. What are some of the other loading conditions that should be considered and were transportation stresses taken into account?  How did you calculate the section properties for the lay-up used in the canoe?

Product:

Name: Phase II
Length: 20' 3"
Weight: 130 lb
Color: dark blue

Vital Statistics