POST-TENSIONING

In order to reduce the effects of tensile forces on the canoe, the team decided to apply post-tensioning. This is the first time in school history that post-tensioning has been attempted on a concrete canoe. On the bow end of the canoe, single ball shanks were installed on the LPT cables to prevent the steel cables from pulling through the bearing plate.  The team decided to apply the tension through the use of a lever placed inside the stern of the canoe. By measuring elongation of the cable tendons, a calculated tension force of 150 pounds was applied to the six cables in pairs.  After the tension was applied, the cables were tied off with three single ball shanks and encased in fresh concrete.