"California State Polytechnic University Pomona"
(8th place overall; 17th in paper; 14th in presentation; 4th in product)

Presentation:

The team relied on one presenter dressed in business attire.  They began by outlining the design process.  Then the team gave the rationale for selecting their canoe’s name and mentioned their competition history.

The hydrodynamics were described and typical values were given for the various prismatic coefficients and key dimensions.  After the structural analysis was outlined, the team specified the maximum values for key design parameters.  They concluded this segment by specifying the critical compressive strength required for their design.

The team outlined the mix design process and the steps taken to meet the C-33 requirement.  They explained the aggregates that they considered and the reinforcement used.  The testing procedures were mentioned and the testing schedule given.

Tests were specified in detail and the curing procedure described.  a design curve was projected along with a pie chart to show the basic constituents.  Final test results were presented.

The construction methods were mentioned in detail including the method used to fabricate the inlay and place concrete by using the "sheet-crete" method.  The team outlined their staining and sealing techniques before bringing the presentation to conclusion. 

Judges Comments/Questions:

Four team members addressed the questions: 

• What was your strategy for recruiting rowers?
• Why did you fail to mention quality control in your design report?
• How did you do it?
• How did you feel about not meeting your goal for achieving neutral buoyancy?
• What is meant by the “divide and conquer” strategy mentioned in your design report?
• How would you correct some of the glitches encountered during the project schedule?
• We don’t see you wearing safety glasses on your slides.  Was safety addressed during construction?
• How does lime add strength to your concrete?
• What cross section did you use in your analysis?
• Was it a full cross section?
• What is the definition of specific gravity?  (This was the show stopper.)
• What was the total number of mixes studied?
• Where did you get the idea for the placement using the sheet-crete method? 

Commentary:

The team did their best to answer the questions posed.  But there was some hesitation here demonstrating that power lies in knowing details especially when the pressure is on.

Product:

Canoe Name: Limelite
Length: 21.5 ft
Weight: 260 lb
Color: Green and black

Cal Poly’s canoe had an asymmetrical hull reinforced with two layers ARG mesh.  Cenospheres, B-lite, and K-1 glass micro-spheres helped meet the C-33 requirement.

Vital Statistics