ACI Egg Protection Device Competition

Commonly Asked Questions

2008 EPD Competition Winners

2006 EPD Competition Winners

2004 EPD Competition Winners

2003 EPD Competition Winners

REGISTRATION FORMS:
Part 1: Online Advance Registration - CLOSED
Part 2: Official Registration Form - CLOSED

Objectives     

Design and build the highest-impact-load resistant plain or reinforced concrete Egg Protection Device (EPD).

Prizes      

First, Second, and Third place entries will each be awarded a certificate of recognition, will be recognized in Concrete International magazine if space allows, and will be recognized on ACI's website.  In addition, the First Place team will receive a $300 award, the Second Place team will receive $200, and the Third Place team will receive $100.

Rules (approved only for the 2008 competition)  

1. Eligibility

1. Each team must have a supervising faculty advisor who will see that the student team complies with the rules of the competition.  The faculty member is permitted to advise more than one team.
2. Each team must consist of students in high school, technical school, trade school, or undergraduate students of a college or university at the time of casting the EPD.  Undergraduate students on cooperative or internship work assignment are also eligible to compete. Although there are no restrictions on the geographical location of the school, all members of a given team must be from the same school. 
3. A team must consist of not less than two and not more than five students.
4. A student may not be a member of more than one team.  
5. It is strongly recommended that at least one individual (faculty advisor or student team member) be designated to represent each team and be present during the testing of specimens at the time and location specified for this competition. Participation by additional team members is both permitted and encouraged.
6. Each school will be permitted to send no more than two teams per school.
7. Any entry for the Aesthetic Competition must enter the Structural Competition.

2. Material

1. The binder must be cementitious material consisting of any combination of the following: portland cement meeting ASTM C 150; blended cement meeting ASTM C 595 or C 1157; ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) meeting ASTM C 989; fly ash meeting ASTM C 618; and silica fume meeting ASTM C 1240. Chemical admixtures, meeting ASTM C 494 or 1017, are allowed. Epoxies and other polymers, glue, and similar binders may not be used. The concrete must be cured to the stage that it is a solid (i.e., no fresh concrete).
2. All reinforcement, longitudinal and stirrups, is not to be greater than 1.6 mm diameter (approx. 16 gauge). Longitudinal reinforcement should be limited to 8 bars/wires in a cross section. No wire meshes, soldering, or welding of cages is permitted. (For fabrication of cages, tie wire or glue is permitted). No bundling, braiding, twisting together, wrapping, or weaving of reinforcement is allowed. The minimum allowed spacing of stirrup is 25 mm. Fibers are not permitted. 
3. No flat plate type embedments or coverings are allowed (i.e., metal or plastic sheets, etc.)
4. Any type of aggregate may be used, except metal, and must pass through a 9.5 mm sieve. 

3. Curing and Age of Specimen

1. Curing shall be at atmospheric pressure. The curing temperatures shall not exceed the boiling point of water. Use of a standard moist curing room is permitted. 
2. EPDs are not to be older than 8 weeks during the day of competition. 

4. Specimen and Testing Configuration

1. EPDs must fit into the slot in a base plate 450 mm ± 5 mm long by 200 mm ± 5 mm wide (as shown in the diagram).
2. EPD must provide clear passage of a rectangular template measuring 210 mm high by 325 mm wide; the top surface of the EPD may not be higher at any point than 250 mm above bottom of the base (to fit into loading frame).
3. EPD footings are allowed only at the ends of the base plate slot. The maximum size of the footing is 50 mm long by 200 mm wide. The footings are to be made of concrete only, but reinforcement in compliance with Section 2(b) may be used. Between the footings, the EPD must remain clear of the base plate of the loading frame during testing.
4. There must be at least a 50 mm diameter flat area on top of the EPD at the centerline (where the loads will impact), which must only be made out of hardened concrete. (Reinforcement in compliance with Section 2(b) may be used in this area if unexposed.) 
5. Maximum mass = 3500 grams.
6. Modification of entries shall not be permitted once they are submitted for compitition.

5. Qualification and Testing Procedures

1. Qualification Test
   The competition procedures consist of three steps, all handled by a group of judges appointed by the Chair of ACI E 801. First, every EPD entry is individually weighed and checked for size and clearances. Second, the two-page report (as described in Section 8) will be evaluated and requirements of Sections 1 to 4 (above) will be checked. Only after the first two qualification steps have been completed will each qualifying EPD be taken to the final step of the destructive test. Also, refer to Section 9 for final qualification and prize eligibility.
2. Impact Test 
   During this phase, each EPD will be subjected to an impact load of 8.39 kg falling, one time, from each of the following increasing heights of 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 2.5 m, and up to five times from the maximum height of 3.0 m. The winning EPD is determined based on the maximum energy (load x height) prior to failure (as defined below) and larger number of impact repetitions at 3.0 m height (for EPDs reaching this load stage). In the event of a tie (for the EPDs that survive the 5 impact load repetitions at 3.0 m height and do not fail), the winning EPDs will be determined based on the minimum mass determined at the beginning of the competition. 
3. Failure Criteria
   Cracking of the egg constitutes failure of the EPD. Cracking of the egg can be due to structural damage of the EPD or spalling of concrete. Note: If due to vibration, the egg is not damaged by the EPD, but instead jumps out of the eggcup, a new egg will be used and the loading will continue. The EPD must be stable and must not fall under its own weight during the test. Stability checks will be performed after every impact load. Unstable EPDs will be disqualified. 

6. Aesthetics Competition

An optional aesthetics competition, sponsored by the Decorative Concrete Council, will take place prior to the structural testing of the entries. For this portion of the competition, the following rules apply:

1. All entries considered for the Aesthetics Competition must satisfy the requirements listed in Sections 1 to 5 and 9.
2. The specimen (EPD) may be decorated to improve its appearance. Materials to be used may be solicited from DCC member firms or a local decorative concrete company. (For more information, please contact ASCC at 972-556-0300 or e-mail: ascc@ascconc.org).
3. Textured or filled cementitious coatings will be allowed, except for the impact area.
4. Coverings must be permanent and shall not obstruct the impact area (see Section 4.d).
5. No removable covers or designs will be allowed.
6. Integral colors within the concrete and chemical, acid based, or acrylic stains will be allowed.
7. No paints or sealers will be allowed.
8. All materials to comply with current volatile organic content regulations and applied in accordance with published manufacturer’s specifications.
9. Provide Product Data Sheets for all materials used for aesthetics purposes.
10. Consideration will be given to the overall appearance of the EPD, including design elements of the concrete structure.
11. Judging will be performed by three members of the Decorative Concrete Council or their appointed representatives, with their vote evaluated at 75%, and the ACI convention attendees, with their vote evaluated at 25%.
12. The devices have to be at the judging area by 11:30 a.m. on the day of the competition. Indicate on your advanced registration form that you are interested in having your EPD entered in the aesthetic competition. For students shipping their entry prior to the convention, the entry will only be judged in the aesthetic competition if the appropriate box is marked on the paperwork.

7. Judging

1. The judges will be appointed by the Chair of Committee E 801.
2. The judges will determine whether or not the rules have been followed.
3. The decision of the judges will be final, and appeals will not be considered.
4. Advance registration is required. All contestants must submit an Advance Registration Form for each entry. This form must be submitted to ACI headquarters by March 7, 2008. It indicates your intent to enter an EPD in the competition. The actual EPD, with the Official Information Form, may be submitted later. 

8. Submitting the EPD and Supporting Materials

The EPD and supporting materials, accompanied by the Official Information Form, and with the identifying markings clearly displayed on it, may be submitted in person no later than 11:00 a.m. on the day of the competition. Each team must provide, along with the EPD, a two-page minimum report describing the mix design (in detail), the manufacturing process of the EPD (including curing), and photographs of the reinforcement cage and the EPD. The two-page report, preferably presented in a poster format, will be exhibited during the competition. Failure to provide such documentation will disqualify a team from participating. 

9. Compliance with ACI-EPD Competition Rules:

ACI reserves the right to perform detailed examination and check entries for compliance with the competition rules. Due to the complexity of this task, the examination may be done after the competition. If the examination shows that a team did not follow the rules, the team, their advisor and all his/her teams will be disqualified. E801 committee will further document recommendations to sanction the team and its advisor and/or the school/university's participation in future competitions. 

10. Contact Information 

Lacey Jones
American Concrete Institute
38800 Country Club Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Fax: (248) 848-3801
E-mail: students@concrete.org