Dyplast supports Florida Atlantic Univ. ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition with its PolyIso Rigid Foam

March 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Dyplast Products proudly announces the donation of some of its high quality Polyisocyanurate ISO-C1® to Florida Atlantic University American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter (ASCE) to be used in their canoe construction for the annual ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition. Below is the FAU ASCE article written by Christina Rosa.

Florida Atlantic University American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter FAU Concrete Canoe Team

The Florida Atlantic University American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter (ASCE) has competed in the annual ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition for the past eleven years.  Each year the ASCE team at FAU has strived to improve and increase the quality of the annual canoe. In the Concrete Canoe Competition, universities from across the nation, as well as universities from  around  the  world,  compete  in  races  using  the  canoes  that  they  have  designed  and constructed out of concrete.  This year the FAU concrete canoe team plans to again successfully design and build a canoe, with the hopes of being able to compete on the national level.

In order to design the Concrete Canoe, the team must design and build the canoe from the ground up.  This process includes designing the mold and framework that will serve as the form for the canoe.   This step is pivotal in the design process.   Without being able to successfully create a workable mold, it will be impossible to build the canoe with the accuracy that is needed for maximum performance.  This year the team has decided on using a male mold as the mold for the canoe. Although the body of the mold will be constructed out of wood cross-sections; to ensure precision, the two ends  will  be  made  from  foam.  These end  pieces  consist  of  two

20"x13"x6" and two 17"x12"x6". The canoe was designed in a program called SolidWorks.  In order to construct the mold, the team will utilize a CNC machine to achieve the exact measurements needed for the canoe.

Material selection is a very important part of using a CNC machine to cut out a mold.  After researching the different materials available, the team decided that Polyisocyanurate foam was an excellent choice.  The Polyisocyanurate material has unique properties that make it desirable for our applications.  The material is soft enough to be easily cut with most drill bits, yet rigid enough to hold the weight of the concrete.  In addition, the material does not succumb to excessive creep and will hold its shape for extended periods of time.  The combination of being easily cut and the high density properties, were the determining factors in choosing this material. The team is confident that this material will be able to meet the needs of the project.

We would like to thank Mr. Jorge Salazar and Dyplast Products for the generous contribution of their high quality product Polyisocyanurate ISO-C1® to these academic endeavors. The use of their foam is a defining and pivotal piece of the entire project that we have undertaken here at FAU.


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