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"North
Carolina State University (NCSU)"
(13th place overall; 18th in paper; 15th in presentation;
8th in product)
Presentation:
 NC
State went with a top-secret military project theme and three team members
delivered their presentation. They
were dressed in business attire and geared the effort toward high-tech strategic
armaments.
The team followed a tactical delivery to explain their
strategic planning. After giving
the rational behind their hull design, they highlighted their canoe’s
attributes.
The construction process was outlined next along with the
methods used to fabricate inlays and apply stain. Then, the team outlined their testing procedures.
The project was billed in several phases with the ultimate
test to be performed in the water. After
explaining that their canoe was the optimal watercraft for the mission at hand,
the team concluded their presentation with a disclaimer... by saying that the
information contained therein was highly classified.
Judges Comments/Questions::
The team members stepped up to the mark and, after some
noted hesitation, the judges began:
- How
did you determine your pre-tensioning stress and how did you arrive at the
safety factor used in the cable?
- In
response to the team’s answer: What was your rational for doing this?
- You
bill your most innovate feature as a weapons platform.
Where is it and what is its purpose?
- What
is the difference between a cantilevered end condition and a cantilevered
support condition?
- It
appears that your aggregate blend is over the ASTM limit.
Is it and why? (Whops!)
- You
characterized your effort as successful.
How did you feel when your canoe sunk during the flotation test? (Oh
boy.)
- You
mentioned that lightweight concrete is inexpensive.
Inexpensive compared to what?
- What
did you give up by shortening your canoe to increase maneuverability?
- You
make no provision for quality control.
Do you have some thoughts on this issue?
Commentary:
NC State may have gone overboard with their theme.
Their skit didn’t seem to work well... the subject matter and disclaimer,
although simply part of their theme, was perhaps too real, and contrary to the
competition goals. The questions posed by the judges reinforced this view
and things got pretty brutal when the team came under fire.
Product:
Canoe Name:
Sea Wolf
Length: 21.3 ft
Weight: 143 lb
Color: Black with red trim
NC State used two layers of graphite mesh to reinforce
their canoe and incorporated pre-tensioning elements. They used ceramic spheres and spherite to help meet the C-33
requirement.
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