MIX DESIGN
Concrete may seem simple but it can quickly become some complicated business. Our Mix Design team is tasked with designing a new Concrete Mix Design that is compliant with the latest competition guidelines sent out every year. The judges always change it up so you can never use the same mix twice. Yet the team must make sure the the concrete will be light, workable, and strong enough to survive the water.
At SDSU concrete canoe you can learn what the industry uses for cementitious materials, fibers, aggregates, admixtures, and more! Meet up with other students to have a blast messing around with concrete to design the team's mix. If interested fill out the following form. Team Meeting Times: Tuesday @6pm & Wednesday @1pm Location: Engineering Building Room E118 (Concrete & Materials Laboratory) |
Testing Concrete MixesEver wondered what concrete is actually made of?! Here at SDSU we get to experiment with various mix designs thanks to material donations from local and regional industry suppliers.
SDSU has used many different ingredients in various concrete mixes. The team has used different aggregates, cementitious materials, fibers, admixtures, and of course cement. Come here to learn what it takes to design a concrete mix to be strong yet lightweight enough to be used for a canoe. |
Performing ASTM Standard TestsHow do you know how good your mix design is? How do you know it can be used in skyscrapers, parking lots, or other structures?
Come here to learn how to perform compression, flexural, and shear tests on concrete samples similar to industry practices. These tests provide insights in how a concrete design will perform and if it will be up to its respective task. In our case being used for a canoe. Better yet use this as an excuse to get to break some concrete! |
Concrete Compliancy/CalcsWould it surprise you to know that not all concrete is the same?
The concrete you find in the sidewalk isn't the same as the ones use for skyscrapers after all. Calculations have been devised as a way to check for compliancy and to show if a concrete mix design will theoretically be strong enough for its respective task. If interested this team will go through how to perform these calculations to show students how to perform compliancy checks similar to industry practices. |
Pour Day PrepHow do you make a concrete canoe without concrete? Well you can't. That is why the mix team is pivotal in making SDSU Concrete Canoe possible.
They prepare the mixes prior to pour day to make sure all ingredients in our mix are measured correctly. This lets the team mix the concrete as quick as possible to then place it on the mold for the canoe. |