It is pivotal that every civil engineer master the science of concrete technology. An old saying states that broken stone, sand and cement make good concrete, but a different proportion of the same ingredients can make a bad concrete. The quality of end product depends on the mortar master. A mortar master knows the right technique for achieving a strong, durable and economic method of making concrete.
The contestants are required to produce concrete blocks as per the problem statement. The participants are allowed to add any material of their choice and requirements to acquire the strength. The evaluation will be based on four parameters: the strength to weight ratio, cost, aesthetic appeal and the innovation in the mix design report.
The owner of the best concrete cube will be declared as the “MORTAR MASTER”.
Schedule : 10 am to 2 pm -- March 3, 2017.
CASH PRIZE - INR 25000
The event is divided into two stages. The first stage will include activities that you will be carrying out at your respective colleges and the second stage will be conducted at NIT-Trichy.
Stage 1
Registration for the event
The release of the problem statement. Check the problem statement section.
Designing the mix and casting three concrete blocks within the specified restrictions.
Preparing a report of the design mix and submitting it online, to us, on or before 15th February 2017.
Design Report Deadline Extended Till 19th February, 2017.
Stage 2
Bring the casted concrete blocks to our college during Pragyan.
Weight, strength and size of the blocks will be tested.
The submitted design reports will be evaluated and the teams would be asked to give a brief oral presentation of their work upon which they will be questioned.
Points will be awarded for each criterion and the winner will be judged accordingly.
The following parameters will be considered in adjudicating the winners:
Design mix report
Average weight of the 3 concrete blocks
Brief oral presentation to the judges
Finish of the blocks
Average compressive strength
Appropriate weightage will be given to the above parameters in declaring the results.
2 - 3 members per team.
The mix design should strictly adhere to the Indian Standards Code.
It is necessary to get the design report attested by the Head of the Department of your college.
Design mix report should be submitted before Pragyan 2017.
The oral presentation is to be kept below 5 minutes.
Any violation or deviation from the criteria mentioned in the problem statement will result in the disqualification of the team.
Any violation of rules mentioned will also lead to the disqualification of the team.
1. Are participants from departments other than Civil Engineering allowed within the team?
Ans: Yes, as long as they have knowledge in designing and casting concrete blocks.
2. Is it not difficult to carry three concrete blocks all the way from our college to NIT Trichy?
Ans: Yes, we understand it is difficult. If you wish to send your blocks a couple of days before your arrival using some transport agencies, you are welcome. The conditions are: 1) The dispatch of the blocks must be brought to our notice and 2) The blocks should arrive at our college prior to your arrival at Pragyan. We will not take any responsibility for the damage of the blocks during transport.
3. Can I participate without submitting the photos?
Ans: No, all participants registering online will have to submit the photos by the deadline mentioned.
4. Can we register once the problem statement is released?
Ans: Yes, you can register. But the rules won’t change and the deadlines will remain the same.
5. Is cross college teams allowed?
Ans: Yes.
Ultra tech, cubes casting procedure and compressive strength test- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsLuaXOJWY
Cube test -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yovfkCpWToE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2G9EiFYDI0
http://theconstructor.org/concrete/concrete-mix-design-procedure-example-is456/6005/
http://www.technogenome.com/2015/03/concrete-mix-design-as-per-is-10262.html
IScodes
IS 456: Plain and Reinforced Concrete - Code of Practice : Bureau of Indian Standards https://archive.org/details/gov.in.is.456.2000
Superplasticizer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRoDinbbdc
Design three cement concrete cubes of 100mm size. Teams of average compressive strength of their three cement concrete cubes greater than 45 Mpa (Take note that the value is for average compressive strength) will be considered satisfying the eligibility criteria. Maximum weight of each cube will 2.5 kgs with a permissible error of plus or minus 10%, suitable penalty will be given for the teams who fail to follow the above constraints.
Judging Criteria:
The Contestants will be judged on the following points:
1. Compressive strength (45 Mpa)& least weight:
Teams with average compressive strength of their cement concrete cubes greater than 45Mpa will be considered satisfying the eligibility criteria. Maximum weight of each cube should be 2.5kg with permissible error of 10% give or take.
The teams satisfying both the criteria will qualify for the oral round. In case the number of teams falling within this range is low, then the top six teams with maximumRATIO of,compressive strength by weightwill be considered for the next round.
The next section concerns only those teams that qualify for the oral round.
A total of 20 marks will be awarded for the average weight of cement concrete cubes. A perfect 20 will be awarded for least average weight (>45 Mpa). The other teams will be given scores in relative to the highest score achieved.
2. Design report:
The design report to be submitted online will carry 20 marks, to be awarded by the judge. Additional weightage will be given for economical and eco-friendly design. Contestants are advised to stick with the design format provided in the Pragyan website.
3. Oral briefing:
The oral presentation will be conducted by our senior faculty member and judge Prof. Dr.C.Natarajanwho will also quiz the team members on the submitted design report. This section will carry a total of 20 marks.
Snehitha-9487960935
Girish-9710585811
Arun Kumar-9944288678
Email us at mortarmaster@pragyan.org