Stability Analysis and Design of a Lightweight Concrete Canoe

This project focused on the development of a lightweight canoe made of carbon fiber, looking into its stability, design, and production. The objective was to make a breakthrough in concrete technology and structural engineering through the production of this lightweight concrete canoe. All this was achieved through an increase in sustainability and adding beneficial attributes to concrete produced using Class-C fly ash, P250 superplasticizer, rice husk ash, micro-silica, microspheres, and cenosphere. The comprehensive design mixture would be developed and cast in cubes for testing for compressive strength, accompanied by a variety of tests on lightweight prisms, panels, and cylinders. There are seven different mortar mixtures that have been developed for different ingredient combinations. Hull size for the canoe was finalized to be 6 m in length, 0.54 m wide, and 0.3 m high, keeping in mind parameters such as passenger capacity and the pattern of sitting arrangement. The study also utilizes Maxsurf software to evaluate the hull design for better maneuverability, speed, stability, and tracking. Stability analysis indicated that the canoe supported up to 48.2° of heel angle when it had a payload capacity of 150 kg and 52.6° of heel angle when the canoe was empty. This difference is caused by the uneven distribution of the weight as more passengers are loaded, thereby sinking the canoe deeper and decreasing its stability. This paper evaluates the potential of applying cenosphere in Portland cement for newer construction techniques that are more sustainable and resource efficient.