Testing To DESTRUCTION!

[SeattlePioneer]

I'm helping to plan our district Cub Scout Day Camp.

 

Right now I'm considering activities that would involve testing materials to failure.

 

So far, building bridges out of 4 foot x .75" X .25" wood strips seems interesting.

 

Today I started investigating testing aluminum soda pop cans to destruction.  Question....

How much weight can you load on a single soda pop can before it fails?

 

Today I loaded on 35 pound cement block and two 6 pound bricks which worked OK.

 

Two cement blocks causes failure reliably.

 

I'm thinking about a project that would involved building a bridge out of three pieces of particle board that could be supported on aluminum cans.  How many cans are needed to support such a structure?

 

The best part is that the cans sound great when they fail!

 

This can involve a variety of things,  like using scales to measure weight and such.

 

Additional ideas invited.

 

 

[koolaidman]

for funsies and a mess:  how much weight can a FULL soda can support.  Is it different from an empty one?

 

(with the bricks, not the bridge, that surely would be a large mess)

[SeattlePioneer]

<<for funsies and a mess:  how much weight can a FULL soda can support.  Is it different from an empty one?

 

(with the bricks, not the bridge, that surely would be a large mess)

>> 

 

 

Heh, heh!  I've thought about that.  Probably a lot more.
 

 

But I'm really looking for weight bearing structures that will collapse with less weight than a soda pop can  ----Cub Scouts might find it difficult or risking injury to load a soda pop can with the 50-60 pounds needed to caused it to fail.

 

 

So I'm thinking about trying paper or plastic drinking cups and seeing how they work.  My Program Director partner was experimenting with toilet paper tubes,  and found than unreinforced tubes collapsed at about a five pound load.

 

But for a day camp activity,  you'd need a LOT of toilet paper tubes!

[SSScout]

Check with the "local"  military district.  Contact the Army Corps of Engineers.  They came out to our CSDC and ran a pavilion on building and structures and structure testing. It was a hit.  They brought in some heavy duty crane trucks and such that the Cubs ooo'ed and aaaah'd over.   Structures built with ice cream sticks, bridges tested to destruction, lots of fun and we didn't have to do a thing except make a lot of phone calls.

[SeattlePioneer]

<<Check with the "local"  military district.  Contact the Army Corps of Engineers.  >> 

 

 

Oooooh!  Great idea!  I'll give it a try!