Strength of Glues *

Areas of Science Civil Engineering
Difficulty
Time Required Average (6-10 days)
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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 14 Dec. 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.

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Experimental Procedure

For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

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