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Understanding buoyancy with building a miniature concrete canoe

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Conference

14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference

Location

University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee

Publication Date

July 30, 2023

Start Date

July 30, 2023

End Date

August 1, 2023

Page Count

2

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44850

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/44850

Download Count

68

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Paper Authors

biography

Helen Yoonhee Jung P.E. California Baptist University

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Professor of Civil Engineering, Gordon and Jill Bourn College of Engineering, California Baptist University.
Licensed Professional Engineer.
University of California, Los Angeles Ph.D. Civil Engineering 2009.
University of California, Los Angeles M.S. Civil Engineering 2005.
University of California, Los Angele B.S. Civil Engineering 2002.

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biography

Jakob Yovanovich California Baptist University

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Student of Civil Engineering, Gordon and Jill Bourn College of Engineering, California Baptist University.

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Abstract

First Author: Helen Jung Ph.D., P.E. Co-student Author: Jakob E. Yovanovich

The first-year engineering students will build a “Miniature” version of a concrete canoe, smaller than 2 feet long. The students will gain hands-on practical experience in mix designs, concrete mixing, mold design, testing, and project management challenges. The project idea comes from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition, providing civil engineering students with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on practical experience. This project not only teaches the students the topic of buoyancy, testing, and mixing the concrete but also provides a chance to be plugged in with the ASCE chapter at the university. The project must be done in a team of 4 (recommended) with a team-selected communication officer and a technical advisor with expertise in concrete mixing, typically a civil engineering professor. They will begin with understanding the equations and relationships of the variables involved in buoyancy. Then the students either design the canoe using CAD or find a mold that is easy to calculate the volume of the canoe. Using household items as mold is strongly recommended for better project time management. A few recommended options for mixing are cement, fiberglass, cement glue, and foam. The lab guidelines must be followed per university policy, and personal protective equipment must be worn at all times. Deliverable Requirements: It must be less than 2ft and greater than 1 foot long. Must float when tested in the water for more than 30 seconds. Must be demonstrated (video or real-time in class). They must turn in their mix-design table.

Jung, H. Y., & Yovanovich, J. (2023, July), Understanding buoyancy with building a miniature concrete canoe Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44850

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