"Louisiana Tech"
(21st place overall; 19th in paper; 15th in presentation; 21st in product)

Presentation:

Louisiana Tech represented the Deep South and made their second national appearance.

Tech relied on 2 men to make their presentation.  The presenters were dressed in suits and the presentation was business oriented.  The team used 1 screen and did not include any videos.

After a brief introduction, the team gave an overview of their presentation.   They began with hull design explaining that their entry was geared toward their paddlers.  

They discussed the problems encountered last year and elaborated on how these problems were corrected.  The team elaborated on their structural analysis and described the loading conditions considered and the service loads found.  

Then the team outlined their program developed to test their individual materials and their composite section.  They described the strategy used to obtain their final mix and reinforcement scheme.  

Construction came next.  Details were provided before the team brought their presentation to conclusion.  

Questions and Comments:  

• How did you go about using the ACI standard to determine the required compressive strength?
• Can you elaborate on the repair request included in your design report?
• What did you do to repair the damage?
• Did you do any surface preparation?
• How did you determine the strength reduction factor in your analysis?
• What were the responsibilities of the project manager versus those of the project engineer?
• Who was the project engineer?
• Why do you want to change your project management scenario?
• Did you plan to include flotation in your canoe from the start?
• Did you look at achieving workability by other means thereby reducing weight and enabling the boat to float?

Product:

   Louisiana Tech fielded "Conquistador."
Length: 20.0'
Weight: 225 lb
Color: amber

LSU’s hull was reinforced using a single layer of fiberglass mesh located at the center of the section.  The team included polypropylene fibers for secondary reinforcement.  Matrix materials included poraver and K-1 micro-spheres.  

The team incorporated 3 ribs into the hull to strengthen it and improved their delivery by building a practice boat.

Vital Statistics