"Ecole de Technologie Superieure (ETS)"
(14th place overall; 11th in paper; 11th in presentation; 8th in product)

Presentation:

The Ecole de Technologie Superieure represented the Upstate New York Conference and made their second national appearance.

ETS relied on 3 people to make their presentation; 2 men and 1 woman.  The presenters were dressed in suits and the presentation was technical.  The team used 1 screen and included videos.

The team began with a brief introduction and then went on to project management.  They outlined the attributes of their boat and presented the milestones that they needed to achieve.

The team described their goals as far as hull design was concerned and outlined the steps taken to improve their product.  They described the finite element analysis done to pinpoint the service load and gave the rationale behind selecting the materials employed for construction.

Mix design came next.  The team elaborated on the constituents used and why they selected them.  They described how they met the ASTM C33 sieve requirement and stressed the importance of using Latex in their mix.  They concluded this segment by saying that they fully met their objective.

Then it was on the canoe construction.  The team outlined the steps taken in the process and elaborated on the mold construction, casting, curing, and finishing techniques.  They stressed the importance of quality control and specified the person hours expended during this phase of the project.

Then the team brought the presentation to a strong conclusion, reinforcing that they met all of their objectives.

 Questions and Comments:

• Was the 24 hour period that you used to cure your canoe adequate?
• What kind of tests did you perform while determining which aggregates would be employed?
• Can you describe how you selected the plate elements incorporated in your finite element analysis?
• Did you develop a 2-D or 3-D model?
• How did you analytically construct/generate the finite elements used in your model?
• Did you have any concerns with your aluminum reinforcement as far as oxidation was concerned?
• What was the shape of the aggregate that you had in your recycled concrete?
• Did this shape help to strengthen your canoe?
• What approach did you use to refine your hull design?
• In addition to aesthetics, was there anything special about the sections cast onto the bow and stern of your canoe?

Note: Overall, I thought that this was a very informative and strong effort... especially considering that the presentation was made in English (The team’s native language is French).

Product:

 
Ecole de Technologie Superieure fielded "Tomahawk."
Length: 19' 8"
Weight: 275 lb
Color: black, blue, and gray

The team employed two layers of fiberglass mesh and aluminum bars in the gunwale to reinforce their hull and met the sieve requirement by using glass beads, micro-spheres, and recycled concrete.  They added free fibers to the mix to strengthen their boat.

Vital Statistics