Researched by Kyle A.
1998-99
|
Researched by Kyle A.
|
|
The purpose of this experiment was to determine which nails can resist
the most force.
I became interested in this idea when the nails failed to support
the roof in my neighbors fort.
The information gained from this experiment may aid construction workers
in the building of wooden structures. Safety may help them work faster,
and or more efficiently.
My hypothesis is that the cement-coated drivescrew can resist more force
than any other nail.
I base my hypothesis on the information that I have gathered from the
Internet, and from books that I had access to.
The constants in this study were:
-The material that the nails are made of
-The length of the nail
-The boards used
-The weights used
-The material that the boards were made of
-The fulcrum
The manipulated variable was the type of nail used.
The responding variable was force it takes to pull the nail from the
board.
To measure the responding variable I applied weights to different locations
on the boards used, and recorded the force I used.
| QUANTITY | ITEM DESCRIPTION |
| 4 | vinyl coated sinker nails |
| 4 | cement coated drive-screw nail |
| 4 | ringshank nail |
| 4 | galvinized nail |
| 1 | hammer |
| 2 | 5.06cm x 10.12cm boards, 121.44cm long |
| 3 | 5lb. Weights |
| 2 | 10lb. Weights |
| 2 | 25lb. Weights |
| 1 | circular board/fulcrum |
1. Get materials.
2. Lay one of the boards horizontally across the floor.
3. Set the fulcrum 30.36-cm away from either one of the ends of the
board.
4. Lay the second board on top of the first make sure that it is lined
up
to the first board.
5. Elevate the end of the board without the fulcrum, so that the opposite
side is
touching.
6. Hammer the first vinyl coated sinker into the end that is touching
the first
board.
7. Measure 30.36-cm away from the fulcrum, mark it.
8. Repeat step 7 three more times.
9. Apply the first 10lb. at 30.36-cm.
10. If the nail does not pull out apply another 10lb. Weight.
11. If the nail still does not pull out apply a 5lb. Weight.
12. If the nail still does not full out, repeat step 11, if nail does
not pull out start applying 25lb. Weights.
13. If nail has not pulled out, remove all weights.
14. Repeat steps 9-13, on the measurement of 60.72-cm.
15. Repeat steps 9-13, on the measurement of 121.44.
16. Remove nail after it has been pulled out by force.
17. Repeat step 6, and 9-16, with cement coated drivescrew 4 times.
18. Repeat step 6 and 9-16 with the ringshank nail 4 times.
19. Repeat step 6 and 9-16 with the galvanized nail 4 times.
20. Repeat step 6 and 9-16 with the finish nails 4 times.
The results of my experiment were that the ringshank nail resisted more
force than any other nail used in the experiment. It held a maximum of
190 pounds, and the least it held was 150 pounds. The nail that resisted
the least force was the vinyl coated sinker nails. They held a maximum
of 60 pounds, and a least of 40 pounds.
My hypothesis was the cement-coated drivescrew would resist more force than any other nail.
The results indicate that my hypothesis should be rejected. The ringshank nail resisted more force than any other nail. The cement-coated drivescrew being next, then the finish nails, and then galvanized. The nails that resisted the least force were vinyl-coated sinkers.
If I were to repeat this experiment I would attempt to experiment with
more nail types, and different lengths in the nails.
|
The task of joining materials is made easier with an object called the nail. The construction of buildings, inner walls, and furniture greatly depends on this hammer-driven object. The first nails were made about 5,000 years ago by the Mesopotamians. Artists used them to fasten sheets of copper to wooden frames to make statues. In the 1700’s American Colonists hammered nails by hand out of a bar of hot iron. About 1775, Jeremiah Wilkinson, an inventor in Cumberland, developed a process for cutting nails from a sheet of cold iron. About 1851, William Hassall, a machinist in New York City, invented the first machine for making nails from wire. Today almost all nails that are made from wire are made by a machine that can make 500 per minute. These are called wire nails. Wire is fed to the machine by a large spool, then cutters cut the wire to the desired length, and they also form the point at one of the ends. At the same time a hammer like object shapes the head at the other end. The nails are then polished, plated, or coated. Manufacturers in the United States make nearly 300different types of nails. They sell nails in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 50 pound boxes of nails. Cut nails are similar to hand wrought nails of years ago, when a nails was made by hammering it out on an anvil. Moderns cut nails are used mainly for flooring and masonry work. (Hand wrought nails are still used for house restorations that aim for a high degree of authenticity.) The first cut nails making machine was invented in Massachusetts by Ezekiel Reed and patented in 1768. An improved form of this machine is still used for making cut nails. In this machine strips of metal, the thickness of the nail are fed into the machine, a pasta cuter that cuts them into four-sided nail lengths. |
Fetzer, Scott “Sizes of Nails” The World Book Encyclopedia 1995. Vol. 14 pp. 3-4
Friction” [Online] http://nyelabs.kct.org/episode/e48.html
Heimler,Charles and Price, Jack Physical Science Ohio: Columbus, 1974. pp. 54-55
“Nail” Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia 1995
“Nails” Encarta Interactive Encyclopedia 1998