Canoeing on Concrete and Geogrids

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student conference opens on Saturday in Helena, Montana, and one of the teams competing in this year’s concrete canoe competition is using geogrid reinforcement within their team’s design. The host school, Carroll College, is entering a 300-lb canoe that uses sealant over an acid-based stain, concrete, two layers of geogrid reinforcement, and Styrofoam sheets. The team’s canoe split in half last year. They hope the addition of geosynthetic reinforcement will keep it together (and afloat).