AASTMT ACI STUDENT CHAPTER

Egg Protection Device Competition

Under supervision of
Prof. Nabil H. El-Ashkar

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition
Objectives
Design and build the highest-impact-load-resistant plain or reinforced concrete Egg Protection
Device (EPD). Learn about concrete’s sustainable benefits related to durability, impact
resistance, and other real-life aspects which an EPD simulates.

The EPD competition will be used to evaluate a potential structure for long-term protection of
a high-value military asset. The structure must be designed to protect the asset (egg) from
repeated aerial bombardment as well as potential chemical attack. In designing the EPD,
consideration should be made for structural resistance of repeated and increasing loading, as
well as durability of the concrete mixture.

Reinforcing placement and design plays a large role in the survivability of the structure as
well as overall density and durability of the concrete mixture itself. Physical strength will be
tested by dropping a weight onto the structure. The teams that most successfully create a
durable structure will be rewarded.

To sum up
Design a concrete structure bearing the fall of a load from different distances up to 3
meters

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. The team members SHOULD have no more than 2 members from first or second year
at civil engineering
c. A team may consist of five 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 three teams.

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition
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
12.5mm (1/2 in) sieve

Reinforcement
All reinforcement, longitudinal and stirrups (transverse reinforcing), shall not be
greater than 1.6 mm 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.

a. For the determination of longitudinal versus shear (stirrups) reinforcement, an

imaginary plane will be used and
may pass any where along the
structure, cutting parallel or
perpendicular to the horizontal
(see Figure 1)
b. 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.
c. 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.

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition
No flat plate type embedment or coverings are allowed (i.e., metal or plastic sheets,
etc.)

No painting, finishing, or coating of the EPD specimens shall be allowed. Each

EPD shall be marked with marker only with the same identification that was
used for advanced registration and is on the cover of the team report.

Specimen and Testing Configuration

a. EPD must provide clear passage of a rectangular template measuring 205 mm
high by 275 mm wide; the top
surface of the EPD may not be
higher at any point than 245 mm
above bottom of the base (to fit into
loading frame)
b. 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 shall be made of concrete
only, but reinforcement in
compliance with (Material section
C) may be used. Between the footings, the EPD must remain clear of the base
plate of the loading frame during testing
c. There must be at least a 50 mm diameter flat area on top of the EPD, centered
25 mm to both sides of the centerline (where the load will impact), which
must be made out of solid concrete. This will result in a 100mm long area at
the center of the EPD where the load will impact (as shown in the diagram).
d. Loading of the device will not take place along the center line, but 25 mm to
either direction of the centerline. This direction will be determined on the day
of competition, randomly, by the judges.
e. The maximum mass of the EPD shall be 3500 grams.
f. Modification of entries shall not be permitted once they are submitted for
competition

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.

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition
Qualification and Testing Procedures
a. Qualification Test
The competition procedures generally consist of three steps, all handled by a
group of judges. First, the report will be evaluated. Second, every EPD entry is
individually weighed and checked for size and clearances and compliance with
the requirements Only after the first two qualification steps have been
completed will each qualifying EPD be taken to the final step of the
destructive test.
b. 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 0.5m, 1.0
m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 2.5 m, and up to five times from the maximum height of
3.0m. 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
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.

Judging
a. The judges will determine whether or not the rules have been followed.
b. The decision of the judges will be final, and appeals will not be considered.
c. 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.

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition
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.. Failure to
provide any of the following documentation will disqualify a team from
participating in the competition.

a. Cover page with Team name, team members and advisor, and team
identification Code, matching the one on the specimen
b. Photographs and 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 before casting
will result in penalties to the team or possible disqualification.
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)
d. Each report shall be signed by the students participating in the team. Besides
the Team supervising faculty advisor who will certify that all pertinent rules
have been followed to his best of knowledge

Compliance with EPD Competition Rules:

AASTMT ACI Student Chapter 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. AASTMT ACI Student Chapter will further document
recommendations to sanction the team and its advisor and/or the 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.

Contact Information
E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

/aciAAST

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• The rules of the competition have been determined to suit the local resources available under the supervision of the
AASTMT ACI Student Chapter
• The organization is a local student activity
• The terms of the competition have been modified by the student Chapter but still follow in essence those of ACI
official competition