"University of California - Berkeley (Bears)"
(4th place overall; 3rd in paper; 7th in presentation; 7th in product)

Presentation:

The Bears relied on 5 people to deliver their presentation.  They used 3 screens and presented their effort from a business standpoint.

After a brief introduction, the team explained how they strove to improve their delivery.  Then they outlined their presentation.

The team began with a description of their operational breakdown structure and the methods employed for recruitment. 

Then they elaborated on their concrete mix design and the parameters considered for the competition.  Details were provided regarding constituents.  The team described the software used to evaluate their design.  They described their primary reinforcement and gave its composite properties.

Hull design came next.  The team described the modifications made to last year’s design.  They explained that their boat is more maneuverable and has a higher acceleration even thought it is more difficult to control. 

Structural analysis and design came next.  The team cited their goals and mentioned the desired safety factor.  They explained how they made hand calculations and employed FEM.

The team elaborated on how they incorporated “float rings” into the hull in order to decrease weight.  Then they explained how they constructed their mold and concrete, and elaborated on their curing and finishing techniques.  They ended by saying that they thought that they had a pretty good boat.

Questions and Comments: 

• The judges cited some figures from the design report and asked the team to elaborate on how they arrived at their allowable stresses.
• Are you saying that the modulus of rupture is the same as your tensile strength?
• What does it mean to follow a critical path?
• Can there be multiple activities, simultaneously, on the time line on your critical path?
• The judges commented on the innovativeness of the float rings and commended the team for placing them in low stressed regions.
• What is the weight saving by employing the rings?
• Are there any secrets that you can share for fund raising?
• Why did you increase the modulus of elasticity as opposed to thickness while modeling thicker areas?
• Do you think that the ASTM standard used for air entrainment applied to your mix?
• If you were to increase the volume of every constituent in your ix design, what would you expect to happen to the volume of a batch?
• If a beam were designed based on working stress, would cracks be expected to form on the tension side of the beam?

Product:

Canoe Name: Caliente 
Length: 21.5 ft  
Weight:175 lb
Color: blue and white

Vital Statistics