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What Is a Concrete Canoe Team all about?
Design, Build & Race a winning concrete canoe…. no, there is no typo here, we make a canoe entirely out of concrete!
3 Facts About Our Canoes:
- Concrete density: 850 kg/m^3 which is 15% lighter than water
- Length: 5.25 – 6.00 meters
- Weight: 90 – 115 kilograms
Our Canoes:
- 2013 "Kraken"
- 2014 "Apocalypse"
- 2015 "Enigma"
- 2016 "Posterra"
- 2017 "Minerva"
Competition
Every year Concrete Canoe teams from all over Canada come together for a serious engineering challenge: teams present results of research, engineering and construction activities which they have been conducting over a year-long period. Finally, an open-water race determines the fastest team! Students from over 15 Canadian universities share valuable experience and have tons of fun during a 3 day competition!
Our Team
Sub-divided into 6 sub-teams there is more than 70 of us on the team: each sub-team takes on a separate research field or a specific task, thus allowing more in-depth work:
- Hull Design & Structural Analysis
- Responsible for the design and optimization of the canoe hull. Each member designs their own hull using AutoCAD, Excel, and DelftShip and then, gets to 3D print their own canoe to complete physical testing. Physical tests such parameters as stability, maneuverability and speed. These results are utilized alongside Delftship modelling in order to select the final design. The final hull design is analyzed under various loading conditions with a combination of hand calculations and MATLAB programming.
- Responsible for the design and optimization of the canoe hull. Each member designs their own hull using AutoCAD, Excel, and DelftShip and then, gets to 3D print their own canoe to complete physical testing. Physical tests such parameters as stability, maneuverability and speed. These results are utilized alongside Delftship modelling in order to select the final design. The final hull design is analyzed under various loading conditions with a combination of hand calculations and MATLAB programming.
- Mixing
- Main goal is to determine a lightweight concrete mix design that will meet: density, strength and aesthetic requirements while following competition Rules and Regulations. Research and testing are conducted alongside each other: new materials, their proportions as well as different curing techniques are developed and tested throughout the year in order to design a winning mix. Everyone on the sub-team gets to learn a lot of theory, various concrete design approaches and finally, get into the laboratory to perform all the mixing and testing procedures.
- Main goal is to determine a lightweight concrete mix design that will meet: density, strength and aesthetic requirements while following competition Rules and Regulations. Research and testing are conducted alongside each other: new materials, their proportions as well as different curing techniques are developed and tested throughout the year in order to design a winning mix. Everyone on the sub-team gets to learn a lot of theory, various concrete design approaches and finally, get into the laboratory to perform all the mixing and testing procedures.
- Aesthetics
- Making a canoe made just out of concrete look as an eye-pleasing piece art is our job and it is not easy! Theme development, design of the canoe's interior and exterior aesthetic elements, final product display and a lot more tasks which involve both artistic and practical approach fall on the shoulders of aesthetics sub-team members.
- Making a canoe made just out of concrete look as an eye-pleasing piece art is our job and it is not easy! Theme development, design of the canoe's interior and exterior aesthetic elements, final product display and a lot more tasks which involve both artistic and practical approach fall on the shoulders of aesthetics sub-team members.
- Construction
- Turning structural drawings into reality is the mission of the construction sub-team. Design and construction of canoe molds, developing canoe casting techniques as well as an actual canoe casting, sanding and finishing the surfaces are just some of the tasks.
- Turning structural drawings into reality is the mission of the construction sub-team. Design and construction of canoe molds, developing canoe casting techniques as well as an actual canoe casting, sanding and finishing the surfaces are just some of the tasks.
- Paddling
- On-water practice weekends and weekly indoor paddling practices with qualified coaches for all sub-team members. Good vibes and good workout are guaranteed!
- On-water practice weekends and weekly indoor paddling practices with qualified coaches for all sub-team members. Good vibes and good workout are guaranteed!
- Business
- Marketing, social media, photography, finances and almost everything non-technical is done by the business team!
- Marketing, social media, photography, finances and almost everything non-technical is done by the business team!
- Academics
- An ultimate goal of academic sub-team activity is attaining a highest score for a technical paper. This includes wide range of activities: from overseeing activities of all sub-teams throughout the year and collecting all key information about the conducted research to the preparation of a technical paper and finally, giving a presentation during the competition.
- An ultimate goal of academic sub-team activity is attaining a highest score for a technical paper. This includes wide range of activities: from overseeing activities of all sub-teams throughout the year and collecting all key information about the conducted research to the preparation of a technical paper and finally, giving a presentation during the competition.
