Pervious Concrete Competition, sponsored by American Concrete Institute, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, and U.S. Green Building Council®

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2010 ACI-CMPBS-USGBC Pervious Concrete Competition Winners

 

 


Objectives  Back to top

In an effort to promote sustainability with concrete, teams are challenged to create a pervious concrete specimen which maximizes permeability while also maintaining good splitting tensile strength. The competition also has a written report.


Prizes  Back to top

Two prize categories are offered, Specimen Testing and Sustainability Report. The prizes for each category are independent of each other and teams may enter one or both categories. First, second, and third place entries in both categories will 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, for the Specimen Testing category the first place team will receive a $300 award, the second place team will receive $200, and the third place team will receive $100. For the Sustainability Report category the first place team will receive a $500 award, the second place team will receive $300, and the third place team will receive $200.

Each school shall be eligible for only one prize per category.

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Resources Back to top

This competition uses a falling-head permeameter method, see Figure 1. Information on pervious concrete including a picture of a similar (but not exact) falling-head permeameter test setup may be obtained in ACI 522R “Pervious Concrete.” Additional information can also be obtained from ACI 522.1 and ACI 211.3, Appendix 6.

Test Set-up


Rules (approved only for the Spring 2010 competition)  Back to top


  1. Eligibility
    1. Team members shall consist only of high school, technical school, trade school, or undergraduate college or university student(s) at the time of specimen casting. Undergraduate students on cooperative or internship work assignment are also eligible to compete. All members of a team shall be from the same school. Each school is limited to two teams.
    2. A team is limited to five individuals. A student may not be a member of more than one team. Each team shall submit a single entry into the competition.
    3. Each team shall have a supervising faculty advisor. The advisor shall be professionally responsible for assuring compliance with the rules of the competition and must sign the entry forms. Faculty advisors may supervise more than one team.
    4. 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 specimen testing at the time and location specified for this competition. Participation by additional team members and school members is both permitted and encouraged.
  2. Specimen Materials and Curing
    All American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications listed refer to the most current revision available.
    1. Specimens shall use cementitious materials as a binder, as defined in Section 2b below. Chemical admixtures meeting ASTM C494 or C1017 may also be used.
    2. Cementitious materials used in the specimens shall be portland cement meeting ASTM C150, blended cement meeting ASTM C595 and C1157 or expansive cement meeting ASTM C845. The following supplementary cementitious materials may also be used: fly ash or natural pozzolans meeting ASTM C618, silica fume meeting ASTM C1240 and slag cement meeting ASTM C989. Epoxies, glues and similar binders shall not be used.
    3. All aggregates shall be non-metallic.
    4. Fibers with a maximum length of 64 millimeters (2.5 inches) and made of glass, synthetic or natural materials may be used. Steel fibers shall not be used. Glass fibers shall meet ASTM C1666. Synthetic and natural fibers shall meet the classifications in ASTM C1116 Section 4.1.  Fiber materials may be mixed (i.e. hybrid fibers) and any dosage rate may be used. No other type of reinforcement may be used.
    5. Specimens shall be cured at atmospheric pressure and curing temperatures shall not exceed the boiling point of water
  3. Specimen Configuration
    1. Each entry for the Specimen Testing prize category shall consist of two specimens. One specimen will be tested during the competition and both will be kept for verification of compliance with the competition rules if needed. See Section 10.
    2. Specimens shall be submitted to the competition site in a dry moisture condition (i.e. not saturated with water).
    3. Specimens shall be cylinders which are 102 mm (4 inches) in diameter and 152 mm (6 inches) in length with a tolerance of plus or minus 5 mm (0.2 inches) in all dimensions. The 152 mm length shall be obtained by cutting approximately 25 mm (1 inch) from each end of a standard 203 mm long cylinder (i.e. a standard 4x8 inch cylinder), thus removing less permeable portions of the standard cylinder. The specimens shall have flat and parallel surfaces at right angles with perpendicular sides and no indentations, cupped edges, fins or other features to bias surface water flow direction.
    4. Specimens shall be homogeneous (i.e. have the same composition throughout the specimen) and shall not have been cut from larger sections except as required in Section 3c.
    5. Each specimen shall be marked on the side in permanent marker with a five character entry identification marking and a directional arrow pointing upwards indicating which direction the specimen is to be placed during permeability testing.
    6. Modifications to specimens are not permitted once submitted for the competition.
  4. Specimen Testing Report
    1. Teams shall submit a written report for each entry into the Specimen Testing prize category meeting the requirements listed in Section 4b for the judges to review and score. An electronic version of the report shall be submitted as described below in standard PDF format (not in Microsoft Word or similar). The electronic report due date is indicated in Section 9 below. A hard copy version shall be also submitted at the competition as described below and will be displayed during the competition. For the Specimen Testing prize category, teams failing to submit either the electronic or hard copy version of the report as required shall only receive half of the report section score in the Final Score equation given in Section 7. Teams failing to submit both the electronic and hard copy versions of the report shall receive a zero in the report section of the Final Score equation given in Section 7.
    2. Each Specimen Testing prize category report shall contain the following. The judges will score the report using the indicated scoring percentages (based on a total of 100%).
      1. Be submitted on standard letter size paper and bound together – 5%
      2. Include a cover page containing the following: – 15%
        1. School name and department
        2. Team members and faculty advisor names
        3. Specimen identification
        4. Picture of school, school logo or picture/sketch of school mascot
      3. Provide a maximum of four pages of pictures (with proper safety equipment being used) and captions showing the methods of the following: – 20%
        1. Batching and placing procedures
        2. Finishing procedures
        3. Curing procedures
        4. Preliminary testing of permeability and splitting tensile tests if applicable
      4. Provide a maximum of two pages of graphs or flow charts showing the team’s decision process in selecting the final mixture design – 25%
      5. Materials Selection – 25%
        1. Provide a single picture showing all materials used in the mixture grouped together prior to mixing
        2. In the picture caption, provide the rationale for material selection highlighting any sustainable design aspects affecting the decision
        3. Using an industry recognized rationale method, provide a carbon footprint analysis to determine the sustainability of the mixture design
      6. Provide the mixture design (dry weight) used in the submitted specimens – 10%
    3. All Specimen Testing prize category reports shall be scored between zero and 100%, with 100% being the best. The entry with the highest score shall receive the top ranking for the report section in the Specimen Testing prize category.
  5. Sustainability Report
    1. Teams entering the Sustainability Report prize category shall complete and submit a report on the sustainability benefits of pervious concrete for review and scoring by the judges. The report shall be between two and ten pages in length. Submission deadlines and procedures shall be the same as the Specimen Testing prize category report, see Section 4. The report shall contain the following. The judges will score the report using the indicated scoring percentages (based on a total of 100%).
      1. Be submitted on standard letter size paper and bound together – 5%
      2. Include a cover page containing the following: – 5%
        1. School name and department
        2. Team members and faculty advisor names
        3. Specimen identification
      3. Discuss the general contributions to sustainability which pervious concrete provides. The discussion shall consider the impact on the environment including: – 60%
        1. Effects to the planet’s land, air and water
        2. Material’s carbon footprint (using an industry recognized rationale method)
        3. Material and energy savings including material recycling
        4. Reduction in water supply toxicity
        5. Long-term cost benefits including a life-cycle analysis
        6. Improvements to the public’s general quality of life
      4. Discuss the specific contribution to sustainability of the mixture design used in the Specimen Testing prize category. If a team does not enter that prize category, discuss the specific contribution to sustainability of a mixture design selected by the team from a literature search  – 30%
    2. All Sustainability Report prize category reports shall be scored between zero and 100%, with 100% being the best.
  6. Testing
    1. For entries into the Specimen Testing prize category, the judges shall inspect both pervious concrete specimens prior to testing to verify compliance with the rules including dimensional and material requirements. Both specimens shall comply with the rules, see Section 10.
    2. The judges shall randomly select one of the specimens for testing. All tests shall use the same specimen.
    3. Permeability Test
      1. The specimen shall be prepared for testing by the judges (sealed surface on the sides, etc) and placed in the testing apparatus.
      2. Each entry shall be tested for permeability using a falling-head permeameter test setup, see Figure 1. A similar (but not exact) example of a falling-head permeability test can be found in ACI 522R-06 Figure 4.7. With the valve closed, water shall be poured into the graduated cylinder above the specimen until the water level remains steady at 230 mm (9 inches) above the specimen. Time begins when the valve is opened. The test is complete and time is stopped when the water level in the graduated cylinder reaches 25 mm (1 inch). The maximum time limit for the test shall be two minutes, after which the water level above the specimen is recorded. Teams failing to meet the maximum time limit shall be put in descending order based on the lowest water level and then ranked lower than the entries completing the test within the time limit.
      3. The entry requiring the least amount of time to complete the test shall receive the top ranking for the permeability test section of the Specimen Testing prize category.
    4. Splitting Tensile Strength Test
      1. Each entry shall be tested for splitting tensile strength using ASTM C496, “Standard Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens.”
      2. The entry with the highest splitting tensile strength shall receive the top ranking for the splitting tensile strength test section of the Specimen Testing prize category.
  7. Scoring
    1. Entries in the Specimen Testing prize category shall be ranked in the permeability test, splitting tensile test and specimen testing report sections as indicated above. The entry with the lowest Final Score as described below shall be declared the winner of the Specimen Testing prize category. In the case of a tie, the winner shall be the team with the better report score.

      2.                             FinalScore = (0.45)(P) + (0.45)(S) + (0.10)(R) 
                  Where     P = Overall ranking of entry in the permeability test
                                 S = Overall ranking of entry in the splitting tensile test
                                 R = Overall ranking of entry in the specimen testing report section

    2. Entries in the Sustainability Report prize category shall be scored as indicated in Section 5. The entry with the highest score shall be declared the winner of the Sustainability Report prize category. In the case of a tie, the winner shall be the team with the better score in Section 5a (iii).
  8. Judging
    1. The judges shall be appointed by the Chair of ACI Committee E801. Judges may be different for each prize category.
    2. The judges shall have the power to make the final determination on compliance with the rules and penalties for rule violations up to and including the disqualification of entries if required. Disqualified entries shall not be included in the scoring or considered for awards. See Section 10.
    3. The decision of the judges shall be final, and appeals will not be considered. Suggestions for improvement may be submitted to the Chair of ACI Committee E801.
  9. Registration and Specimen Submission
    1. Advance registration is required. Teams shall submit an online advance registration form for their entry. This form shall be submitted to ACI headquarters by February 22, 2010. It indicates the team’s intent to enter the competition. The pervious concrete specimens and report hard copies, as applicable, will be submitted on the day of the competition.
    2. For students requiring a U.S. entry VISA letter, an invitation letter from ACI will be sent upon request after receiving a completed advance registration online form only IF the school/university is located outside of the U.S. or Canada, AND the team has indicated it plans to attend the convention on the advance registration form. Invitation letters will be emailed to the faculty advisor email address listed on the advance registration form. Hard copies will not be faxed or mailed to the team members or to U.S. embassies.
    3. The electronic report(s), as described above, shall be submitted via email no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 8, 2010 to the official contact listed below.
    4. The pervious concrete specimens and hard copy of the report(s) for each entry, accompanied by the Official Registration Form (in PDF format Get Acrobat), and with the identifying markings clearly displayed on the specimens, shall be submitted at the competition site in person by no later than 10:00 a.m. local time on the day of the competition. Specimens arriving past 10:00 a.m. will not be accepted for entry into the competition and will only be tested after the competition is complete, should time permit. The individual bringing the specimens and/or report(s) to the competition does not have to be a member of the team and does not need to remain in the testing area.
    5. The competition will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time on March 21, 2010.
  10. Compliance with ACI Pervious Concrete Competition Rules
    ACI reserves the right to perform a detailed examination and check all entries for compliance with the competition rules and for plagiarism in the report(s). Due to the complexity of this task, the examination may be done after the competition if needed. If the examination shows that a team did not follow the rules or plagiarized, the team, their advisor, and all of his/her teams will be disqualified. ACI Committee E801 will further document recommendations to disallow the team, their advisor, and/or school/university from participation in future ACI competitions and submit this to the Student and Young Professional Activities Committee.
  11. Contact Information
    Lacey Jones
    American Concrete Institute
    38800 Country Club Drive
    Farmington Hills, MI 48331
    Fax: (248) 848-3801
    E-mail: students@concrete.org