ACI Egg Protection Device Competition

Objectives
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. Note that only one team is allowed
entry per school.

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 $750 award, the Second Place team will
receive $500, and the Third Place team will receive $250. Awards and overall results are not
announced until the end of the Student Lunch on Monday of Convention.

Rules
1. Eligibility
a. 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.
b. 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.
c. A team may consist of up to eight students.
d. A student may not be a member of more than one team.
e. At least one individual (faculty advisor or student team member) must be
designated to represent each team and be present during the testing of the
specimen at the time and location specified for this competition. Participation by
additional team members is both permitted and encouraged.
f. Each school will be permitted to enter no more than one team.
2. Material
a. 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.
 b. 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).
c. Any type of aggregate may be used, except metal, and must pass through a 12.5
mm (1/2 in) sieve
d. 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 13 stirrups
may be used in the EPD. Bundling of reinforcement for stirrup construction is not
permitted. Longitudinal reinforcement shall be limited to 5 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.
Reinforcing shall not be visible at the surface of the EPD as this would indicate
insufficient concrete cover and ultimately a structure that is not durable. Visible
reinforcing may result in disqualification.
1. For the determination of longitudinal versus shear (stirrups)
reinforcement, an imaginary plane will be used and may pass anywhere
along the structure, cutting parallel or perpendicular to the horizontal (see
Figure 1).
2. In the supports of the structure, any reinforcing that passes through a
vertical plane at an angle greater than 30 degrees will be considered shear
reinforcing and count against the total number of stirrups.
3. In the main horizontal member, any reinforcing that passes through a
horizontal plane at an angle greater than 30 degrees will be considered
shear reinforcing and count against the total number of stirrups.
e. No flat plate type embedments or coverings are allowed (i.e., metal or plastic sheets,
etc.)
f. No painting, finishing, or coating of the EPD specimens shall be allowed. Each EPD
shall be marked with marker only with the same 5 digit identification that was used
for advanced registration and is on the cover of the team report.
3. Curing and Age of Specimen
a. 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.
b. EPDs shall not be older than 8 weeks during the day of competition.
c. Each EPD shall be marked in marker with a 5 digit identification that matches the
5 digit code provided in the advance registration form and the EPD report.
4. Specimen and Testing Configuration
As ACI’s measuring devices may differ slightly from those used in the student lab, it is
recommended that a small margin be considered, or the team risks being disqualified for
variations in minor tolerances of measuring equipment.
a. 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 Figure 2).
 b. EPD must provide clear passage of a rectangular template measuring 205 mm
(8.07 in) high by 275 mm (10.83 in) wide; the top surface of the EPD may not be
higher at any point than 245 mm (9.65 in) above bottom of the base (to fit into
loading frame).
c. 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(c) may be used. Between the footings, the EPD must remain clear of the
base plate of the loading frame during testing.
d. 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 both sides of the centerline (where the load will
impact), which must be made out of solid concrete (reinforcement in compliance
with Section 2(c) 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).
e. 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.
f. The maximum mass of the EPD shall be 3500 grams (7.72 lbs).
g. Modification of entries shall not be permitted once they are submitted for
competition.
5. Qualification and Testing Procedures
a. 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). 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.
b. 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 EPD’s will be ranked
based on the maximum energy (height with constant load) prior to failure and
larger number of impact repetitions at 3.0 m (9.84 ft) height (for EPDs reaching
this load stage). For the EPDs with the same impact loading, EPDs will be ranked
based on the minimum mass determined at the beginning of the competition.
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 as determined necessary by the judges. Unstable EPDs
will be disqualified.
6. Judging
a. The judges will be appointed by the Chair of Committee S 801.
b. The judges will determine whether or not the rules have been followed.
c. The decision of the judges will be final, and appeals will not be considered.
d. Advance registration is required. All contestants must submit an Advance
Registration Form for each entry. This form must be submitted by email to the ACI
student contact listed below by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 24 September 2017 and
indicates your intent to enter an EPD in the competition. A pdf copy of the EPD
report, detailed in section 7, must be submitted digitally by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
on 1 October 2017 to the same contact. The actual EPD and a hard copy of the report,
must be submitted on the day of the competition. See the ACI competition website for
registration forms and additional information. Failure to meet the above deadlines due
to technical problems or for any reason may result in the inability to participate in the
competition or point penalties at the discretion of the judges. All submissions will
receive a confirmation response.
e. Final competition results will be calculated based on the following formula, inputting
the team ranking from each of the following:
Final Score = 0.80 (Impact) + 0.20 (Report)
f. In the instance of a tied final score, the team with the higher number of impacts will
receive the higher rank. In the unlikely event the teams are still tied, the team with the
lower number of stirrups will receive the higher rank.
7. Submitting the EPD and Supporting Materials
The EPD and supporting materials, and with the identifying markings clearly displayed on it,
shall be submitted in person at checkin 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. This same report shall be submitted in pdf format to the student
contact in item 9 prior to the report submission deadline, noted below. Failure to provide the
following documentation will disqualify a team from participating in the competition.
A. Cover page with Team name, team members and advisor, and 5 digit team
identification Code, matching the one on the specimen
B. Photographs and/or descriptions of the following:
1. Batching and placing procedures (max. 1 page)
2. Reinforcing cage construction and layout including a photo of the completed cage
(max. 2 pages). Failure to provide suitable photographs of the reinforcing cage for
determination of reinforcing steel quantity will result in penalties to the team.
 3. Casting of the specimen and curing procedures (max. 1 page)
C. Describe and list the mixture design, the manufacturing process of the EPD, selection
of the reinforcing and its layout, and the curing processes, including the cast date or
anticipated cast date of the EPD (max. 3 pages)
Summary of submission deadlines:
Advance Registration Form: by 11:59 p.m. 24 September 2017
EPD Report in pdf format and Official Information Form: by 11:59 p.m. 1 October 2017
EPD and Supporting Materials Submission: At the Student Competition, at 9am on 15
October or as otherwise directed
8. 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. Failure to supply the required submittals or failure to meet the established
deadlines may result in penalties, up to and including disqualification.
9. Contact Information
Denesha Price
American Concrete Institute
38800 Country Club Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Phone (248) 848-3737
E-mail: [email protected]
Figure 1:
Figure 2: