There has been a lot of progress made on material research and ordering of materials. Since the alternative design presentations, more aggregate options have been discovered and evaluated for this year's mix design. Pictured below is the gradation requirement provided to the competition teams in this years 2023 ACSE Concrete Canoe Competition RFP.
This is going to be the most difficult constraint to comply to for the mix design team. Given that most lightweight aggregates are on the smaller end of the gradation scale, there needs to be a well proportioned aggregate mix to follow the requirements.
Options for aggregates include Cenospheres, Stalite, Pumice +Pozzolan, and Poraver. There are different sizes of these aggregates, and the selection of each type is currently taking place. In order to fulfill the requirements, each aggregate will contribute to the particle distribution. Stalite and Pumice fill the top half of the particle sizes, while the cenospheres and poraver are much smaller. Using all of these aggregates, there will be a proportioned aggregate mix.
Materials are currently being ordered in their respective sizes. They are either being donated from manufacturers or being paid for at a discounted price. Once these materials are delivered, the first step is to make the graded aggregate. Then, mixes will begin to be tested.
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