opportunities
opportunities

 
   

ACI Egg Protection Device Competition

 

2012 EPD Competition Winners

2010 EPD Competition Winners

2008 EPD Competition Winners

2006 EPD Competition Winners

2004 EPD Competition Winners

2003 EPD Competition Winners

REGISTRATION FORMS:
Part 1: Online Advance Registration (Open Until September 30, 2012)
Part 2: Official Registration Form

Commonly Asked Questions

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Objectives  Back to top

Design and build the highest-impact-load resistant plain or reinforced concrete Egg Protection Device (EPD). Learn and report on concrete's sustainable benefits related to durability, impact resistance and other real-life aspects which an EPD simulates.

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Prizes  Back to top

First, Second, and Third place entries in each prize category 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.

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Rules  back to top


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 may consist of up to 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 specimen 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 enter no more than two teams per school.
  7. Any entry for the Durability Optional prize category must enter the Structural Category.

2. Material

  1. The binder shall 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; slag cement 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 shall 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 (transverse reinforcing), shall not be greater than 1.6 mm (0.06 in) diameter (approx. 16 gauge). No more than 15 stirrups may be used in the EPD. Bundling of reinforcement for stirrup construction is not permitted. Longitudinal reinforcement shall be limited to 8 bars/wires in a cross section. No wire meshes, soldering, or welding of cages is permitted. (For fabrication of cages, small gauge tie wire or glue is permitted). 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 (3/8 in) 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 shall not be older than 8 weeks during the day of competition.

Click to zoom in4. Specimen and Testing Configuration

  1. EPDs must fit into the slot in a base plate 400 mm (15.75 in.) ± 5 mm (0.2 in.) long by 200 mm (7.87 in.) ± 5 mm (0.2 in.) wide (as shown in the diagram).
  2. EPD must provide clear passage of a rectangular template measuring 210 mm (8.27 in) high by 275 mm (10.83 in) wide; the top surface of the EPD may not be higher at any point than 250 mm (9.84 in) 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 (1.97 in) long by 200 mm (7.87 in) wide. The footings shall 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 (1.97 in) diameter flat area on top of the EPD, centered 25 mm (0.98 in) to either side of the centerline (where the load will impact), which must be made out of solid concrete (Reinforcement in compliance with Section 2(b) may be used in this area if unexposed). This will result in a 100 mm (3.94 in) long area at the center of the EPD where the load will impact (as shown in the diagram).
  5. Loading of the device will not take place along the center line, but 25 mm (0.98 in) to either direction of the centerline. This direction will be determined on the day of competition, randomly, by the judges.
  6. The maximum mass of the EPD shall be 3000 grams (6.61 lbs).
  7. Modification of entries shall not be permitted once they are submitted for competition.

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 S 801. First, the report (as described in Section 8) will be evaluated Second, every EPD entry is individually weighed and checked for size and clearances and compliance with the 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. Refer to Section 1 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 (18.5 lb) falling, one time, from each of the following increasing heights of 0.5 m (1.64 ft), 1.0 m (3.28 ft), 1.5 m (4.92 ft), 2.0 m (6.56 ft), 2.5 m (8.20 ft), and up to five times from the maximum height of 3.0 m (9.84 ft). 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 (9.84 ft) 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 (9.84 ft) 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. Durability - Optional Prize Category

Consideration of sustainable development or "green building" with concrete often leans heavily on materials selection or reuse of existing products. However, a major component of sustainable development requires the consideration of long-term durability. For this optional portion of the competition, your team will have to consider durability when designing the concrete mix for your EPD, as well as depth of rebar cover. You will use STADIUM® modeling software to model the chemical ingress of chloride ions from seawater into your EPD over a 30 year period

NOTE: Input parameters for modeling are provided to you on the EPD STADIUM® Transport Properties Grid with the exception of the density and porosity of the sample. A test of porosity in accordance with C642 is required at 7 days of age for your particular mix design (begin the drying portion of the test at 7 days of age). It is important to consider this time requirement as it could affect your ability to model your design and make final mix and geometry selections prior to the competition deadlines.

With this optional category, your EPD must provide adequate protection to a single egg for both impact (as measured in section 5) and chemical ingress. Your EPD will be simulated as being installed on the warm coastal shore of Miami Beach, with the top of your EPD subjected to regular tides for a period of 30 years (i.e. as if the EPD was installed sideways with the "top" facing the sea). With global ocean levels predicted to rise, your EPD must be built to sustain repeated impact from waves, as well as resist the ingress of chlorides into the egg chamber. After 30 years, the resident surfing denizens of Miami Beach will not want to open an EPD to find a salt-covered egg. For the modeling portion of this competition, be sure to use the actual dimensions of your EPD. As structural durability does play a role in the overall durability of the EPD, your EPD must at least be structurally sound enough to survive the initial 0.5m loading in Section 5. Without this minimum level of structural durability, chemical durability will not be effective in protecting your egg.

  1. For the duration of the 2012 competition, your team will be provided access to STADIUM modeling software. See accompanying document, EPD STADIUM® User Guide, for details on how to access and use STADIUM® in the context of the EPD competition.
    1. Modelling practices must follow the steps outlined in the EPD STADIUM® User Guide, unless there are reasonable grounds to deviate from the steps outlined therein.
      1. Justifications for these deviations must be included in the model analysis (or in annexes) and may be rejected by judges if not justified.
  1. Testing Required
    1. A sample of the concrete used in the EPD must be subjected to ASTM C642 - Standard Test Method for Density, Absorption, and Voids in Hardened Concrete, as this is a required input parameter for STADIUM® modeling. Testing should begin when the sample is 7 days of age (A standard 10 cm x 20 cm (4"x8" ) cylinder sawn to a height of 6-7 cm suffices well for testing. Testing multiple specimens of the same mix and averaging ensures a more reliable result).
  1. Input Parameters - Follow the Step-by-Step STADIUM®user guide for additional guidance with this section.
    1. Modeling location must be set to Miami
    2. For the purposes of modeling, the top of your EPD will be simulated as an infinite cope wall.
    3. Depth of the first layer of rebar must be equivalent to the distance from the top of your EPD to the first layer of rebar within the EPD at the closest point along the top surface of the EPD.
    4. Simulation must be set to 30 years.
    5. Mix properties input into the STADIUM® model must be those of the final mix used in the EPD.
    6. Transport properties of concrete must be obtained following ASTM C642 at 7 days and selected in accordance to the EPD STADIUM® Transport Properties Grid. For intermediate values not covered by the EPD STADIUM® Transport Properties Grid, extrapolation is permitted. For details, see the EPD STADIUM® Transport Properties Grid
      1. Justification of extrapolated values must be included in the model analysis (or in annexes) and may be rejected by judges if not justified.
    7. Exposure type must be set to "Seawater - Tidal Zone"
  1. Required documentation - report due by 11:59pm October 5, 2012 via email to Michelle Totin. Failure to submit the following documentation will disqualify a team from participating in the optional category.
    1. STADIUM® simulation report showing input parameters and chloride ion levels at first layer of rebar after 30 years
    2. Maximum 1 page analysis of model results and overall durability of the EPD, how the model influenced the final design of your EPD, and justification of any deviations from EPD STADIUM® User Guide. and EPD STADIUM® Transport Properties Grid. (annexes are permitted for documentation and/or calculation examples, if applicable and necessary - please keep them succinct )
  1. Scoring for Optional Durability Prize Category Judging of reports will be as noted below and in accordance with section 7.
    1. The EPD will have to at least survive the 0.5m load test during egg protection loading to qualify for this chemical durability category. Failure during or prior to the 0.5m load application will result in disqualification.
    2. Chloride ion concentration at the reinforcing level after 30 years:
      1. Lowest of all teams - 75 points
      2. 2nd lowest - 70 points
      3. 3rd lowest - 65 points
      4. 4th lowest - 60 points
      5. Etc. through the 15th place team, which will receive 5 points
    3. Quality of analysis: up to 25 points
    4. Standard Deductions:
      1. Improper input parameters as defined in section c -10 points per parameter
      2. Rejected/missing justifications of changes to parameters -10 points per parameter

        3. EPD STADIUM® User Guide


        2012 STADIUM® EPD Transport Properties Grid

7. Judging

  1. The judges will be appointed by the Chair of Committee S 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 September 30, 2012. It indicates your intent to enter an EPD in the competition. The actual EPD, with the Official Information Form, is submitted on the day of the competition. See the ACI website for registration forms and additional information.

8. Submitting the EPD and Supporting Materials

TThe EPD and supporting materials, accompanied by the Official Information Form, and with the identifying markings clearly displayed on it, shall be submitted in person no later than 10:00 a.m. on the day of the competition. Each team shall provide, along with the EPD, a hard copy of an EPD report as described below on standard letter sized paper on the day of competition. Failure to provide the following documentation will disqualify a team from participating.

  1. Each EPD report shall contain photographs of the following:
    1. Batching and placing procedures
    2. Reinforcing cage construction and layout (including photo of completed cage)
    3. Casting of the specimen
    4. Curing procedures
  2. Describe the mixture design in detail, the manufacturing process of the EPD, selection of the reinforcing and its layout, and the curing processes.
  3. The report for the Optional Durability Prize Category is separate and must meet the specific requirements detailed in Section 6. The durability report is due via email to Michelle Totin by 11:59pm October 5, 2012.

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. S801 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

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