Strength of Glues *
| Areas of Science |
Civil Engineering |
| Difficulty | |
| Time Required | Average (6-10 days) |
*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.
Abstract
Try gluing wood together with different types of glue, e.g.: regular white glue, yellow wood glue, cyanoacrylate (super glue), and Liquid Nails. Glue a short piece (5-8 cm) to the center of a longer piece (15-30 cm). After the glue has dried for the recommended time, drill a small hole through the center of the joint, big enough to pass through a piece of coat-hanger wire. Cut a length of coat hanger wire, pass it through the hole, and twist the ends together to form a loop. Place the ends of the longer piece of wood on sturdy supports (e.g., between two workbenches), with the shorter piece of wood and coat-hanger loop hanging below. Use an S-hook to attach a bucket to the coat hanger loop. Gradually fill the bucket with weights (e.g., water, sand, or metal weights) until the either the glue joint or the wood itself breaks. Record the weight at which failure occurred. (Hess, 2006) Here are a few ideas for variations (you can probably think of others yourself):- You can see if the type of wood makes a difference.
- You could see if the surface finish makes a difference by sanding the wood with different grades of sandpaper before gluing.
- You can also see whether clamping the pieces together while the glue is drying makes a difference.
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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Strength of Glues." Science Buddies,
28 July 2017,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/CE_p021/civil-engineering/strength-of-glues.
Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2017, July 28).
Strength of Glues.
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/CE_p021/civil-engineering/strength-of-glues
Last edit date: 2017-07-28
Bibliography
Hess, J.R., 2006, personal communication.News Feed on This Topic
Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed
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Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed
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