Optimization of the Design of a Concrete Canoe using Finite Element Analysis

Students at Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) participate in the annual concrete canoe competition conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers.Every year students design and fabricate a canoe.For the 2009 competition, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was incorporated to optimize design and reduce the number of prototypes.The primary function of the FEA was to conduct stress analysis at pivotal points on the concrete canoe.FEA model selected for analysis was ABAQUS, as it was identified as a user friendly model and functions were simple enough of undergraduate students to conduct basic analysis.A three dimensional model of the canoe was developed using a basic computer aided design (CAD) software and was incorporated into the FEA model.The concrete canoe was evaluated by subjecting the model to various loading conditions and the stress deformations were identified.Results of FEA analysis revealed that under maximum loading conditions of 180 pounds, the deformations of the concrete canoe were not large enough to result in the failure of the canoe.Based on FEA analysis the concrete canoe was successfully constructed.