IMAMONKEY! Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 I am taking this Tech class called Construction Systems. We have an in-class project (that he already told us about- yes my teacher is slightly mentally retarded) Where we have to build a Beam that will be made of one piece of paper and glue. Then we will build a column with the same parameters. The point is to see which holds the most weight. It seems interesting but I really do suck at engineering problems. I cannot think of what could possibly make it any better other then dipping the entire structure in glue. Can anyone help me get an A on this? Because I can tell you already I am probably not going to do very well in this class. :shrug: Regards, IMAMONKEY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infamous Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 I am taking this Tech class called Construction Systems. We have an in-class project (that he already told us about- yes my teacher is slightly mentally retarded) Where we have to build a Beam that will be made of one piece of paper and glue. Then we will build a column with the same parameters. The point is to see which holds the most weight. It seems interesting but I really do suck at engineering problems. I cannot think of what could possibly make it any better other then dipping the entire structure in glue. Can anyone help me get an A on this? Because I can tell you already I am probably not going to do very well in this class. :shrug: Regards, IMAMONKEY!Maybe you can add stiffness to your project by applying a thin layer of shellack to your paper, if that is allowed ofcourse? Also, the more right angles you can include in the design, the stronger your structure will usually be. That's about all I can suggest as we are discouraged from doing homework for our members. Remembering that these are only suggestions, you will have to come up with the final design yourself.........................good luck.....................Infy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric l Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Two things :1) try to have as many layers of fibre (=paper) as possible. Make a rod rather than a tube.2) find out which is machine direction and which is cross direction in your paper. Paper is stronger in the machine direction, so have the axis of your rod parrallel to the machine direction. How to distinguish MD and CD ? When wet, paper expands more in the cross direction. Draw a line parrallel to one of the sides of your sheet, and then cut out a small cirkle with that line crossing it. Then lay your circle of paper on top of a water surface (in a beaker or a dish). The paper will curl up in one direction, the direction in which it remains straight is the machine direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Two things :1) try to have as many layers of fibre (=paper) as possible. Make a rod rather than a tube.2) find out which is machine direction and which is cross direction in your paper. Paper is stronger in the machine direction, so have the axis of your rod parrallel to the machine direction. How to distinguish MD and CD ? When wet, paper expands more in the cross direction. Draw a line parrallel to one of the sides of your sheet, and then cut out a small cirkle with that line crossing it. Then lay your circle of paper on top of a water surface (in a beaker or a dish). The paper will curl up in one direction, the direction in which it remains straight is the machine direction.An interesting test, but not true for all constructions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMAMONKEY! Posted January 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Also... how am i gunna get the paper back now that ive ruined it in water? lol no but thanks for the tips. :) I appreciate your guys' help on this. Infy what is shellack? Ive honestly never heard of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Check out a woodworking store or Home Depot or Lowe's or something. Near the paint... They'll know. ;) [/Not infy, but iNow ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow67 Posted January 21, 2007 Report Share Posted January 21, 2007 shellac is a kind of resin usually mixed with an alcohol base to make varnish.it is used for sealing, and polishing floors or knots in wood. it is just like wax and has similar purposes.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAHD Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 see it depends on how you have the beam madeIf you glue a lot of layers of paper together the beam will be stronger, this is the same principle as plywood. The beam should be made a rectangle, length to streatch the required distance, height greater than width to make it stonger. If you want to incorporate the ability to bend a bit before it shears off, i'd suggest a few layers of paper pulp mixed with glue and compressed between sheats of full paoper; the full paper will give it integrity while he pulp will give it flex. the type of glue you use will also determine how strong it is: get a rubber cement and it will be very bendy and hard to tear but won't hold much weight before folding, while a white/wood glue will dry to a far more rigid structure to give greater support at the cost of it snapping once that support is exceeded. Really, reading all about Engineered wood will help you with your project and get you a LOT closer to getting that 'A+'. Following trussing design will further increase the strength of your span, but they MIGHT not let you go that far if it's just a asic lesson. :beer: If they're going to go pillar vs beam they're definatly going to be teaching you about levers and whatnot, so I'd suggest reading up a bit on classical mechanics and very specificaly on leverage. Do a few experiments at home before you do it at school, and you'll be shure to impress everybody with how smart you are :note: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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