Project Information
Project Description
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) was founded in 1954 and serves as the technical institute and trade association for the precast, prestressed concrete structures industry. Every Academic year, the institute’s student committee hosts the PCI Big Beam Competition where each invited entry of students is to design a beam under required standards and codes applicable to the general rules of that year. NAU has taken part in the Big Beam Competition since 2012, marking the 10th year in its participation.
For the 2022-2023 Competition, NAU has recruited one team to design the beam: Top Beam. Top Beam will work to finalize a design of a beam and send the design to be fabricated. The fabrication of the beam will be done by Tpac in Phoenix where the final product is then sent back to NAU for testing.
Project Constraints
Project constraints include cost, the weight of the concrete beam, time, and compliance with the PCI Competition Rules, ASTM & ACI 318-19 code. It is important to note that the project costs will be covered with sponsorship from Tpac, but the team will be judged from an estimated project budget using the provided in the competition rules. The beam that is the lightest weight and has the highest deflections will score better, therefore to meet this constraint the team will consider material properties and perform structural analysis before the construction of the beam. The team must complete the entire beam design within the time frame of August 15, 2022 and June 12, 2023. All rules and regulations outlined in the Official Competition Rules, ASTM & ACI 318-19 code must be followed for the team’s beam to score well.Â
Project Location
TPAC - PCI Certified Concrete Contractor
This is the location of the concrete contractor who will be fabricating the beam.
