"University of Wisconsin - Platteville"
(18th place overall; 13th in paper; 13th in presentation; 14th in product)

Presentation:

Platteville’s theme was finding Nemo.  Four team members delivered their presentation.

After introducing themselves, the team stressed that their canoe was designed and constructed by undergraduates.  Then they explained how they used PROLINES for hull design and presented the attributes of their design.

The team described their mix design process and explained how they met the C-33 requirement.  Then they explained how their mold and canoe were constructed.  This was done in great detail and included individual member responsibility.

Then, curing and finishing techniques were outlined.  After the rational for selecting paddlers was given, the team ended their presentation by saying that UW-Platteville expected to be competitive.

Judges Comments/Questions:

Then, the question session began: 

• What structural analyses were performed?
• What do you think that the critical dimensions should be on your design drawings?
• How did you verify the output from your analysis?
• How did you compute the desired thickness of the hull?
• Expanded slate was included in your mix proportions.  Tell me a little about the SSD of this constituent.
• Where did all of the water go in the mix?
• Why was flexural strength mentioned in the presentation and not in the report?
• Why couldn’t you have simply changed the stiffness to take the ribs into account during your two-dimensional analysis?
• How does Latex minimize the influence of silica fume?
• Can you define brittle?

Commentary:

By choosing to dwell heavily on construction, the team left themselves vulnerable to many questions… and they paid a price for that during the question period.  this was probably the most brutal set of questions posed to any team.  It was very apparent that you need to cover your bases before getting into the game.

Product:

Canoe Name: Nemo
Length: 19.3 ft
Weight: 227 lb
Color: Orange, black, and white

Platteville's canoe had ribs and was reinforced using fiberglass mesh.  The team used expanded shale to help meet the C-33 requirement.

Vital Statistics