Upcoming Science Fair

Hey Adhesion Legion, how is everything coming along for the science fair?
Mike

Science Fair Update

So both teams went to the Region 1 Science Fair yesterday (March 11) and both did really well!

A recap for Adhesion:
The judges provided good criticism, especially the last one, Robert Sanger. It was very obvious that he was qualified to judge the material we presented. However, he basically turned our project upside-down by telling us that compliance has nothing to do with the failure force of an adhesive...so we'll need to talk about that at the UMass meeting on March 18th. I (Nasim), however, will not be able to go next week, so the rest of the team will have to talk about it. The other judges were really impressed that we (high school students) found a creative way to measure failure force through spring compliance. We ended up in 3rd place, a job well done, considering the fact that we're a new group this year!
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Cavitation will post on their blog about their experience. They ended up placing 2nd!
So congratulations to the both of us! Now on to States!

-Nasim Cheraghi

It's here!

The technician at WNEC School of Engineering finished putting the design together! So, now I'm happy to say that we'll start working with it tomorrow after school! The contraption is shown below and in the DESIGN tab:
(to adherers: we need to think of a name for it)

Good News!

So WNEC was kind enough to set up the entire design for us. I planned for the entire group to meet up at WNEC this morning (Jan. 17) to finalize the design with the technician. Unfortunately, no one showed up, so I went by myself...
I cleared up some of the issues the technician had detected with the contraption. I uploaded a new photo of the design under the tab. The technician is going to shrink it to a light-weight and experiment-capable size, which is definitely a positive. Since WNEC and all other colleges are beginning their second semester tomorrow, the technician will be a bit busy. So he predicts that he'll be completed with the work by Friday.
WNEC is gratefully providing us with any additional materials needed to build the contraption.
That's all for now. I'm glad to say that experimenting will likely start next week!

-Nasim

Over Break

Well, I have almost everything for the design. I bought a bar, but it's 48 inches long and I need to get it cut into four 1-foot pieces. My dad is taking it to work and hopefully they'll cut it and drill holes into the bottom so that we can attach it to the plywood. So all we need now are the springs, and eventually to put it together and start testing! (hopefully before the end of the first week of january)

I'm finishing up the powerpoint for friday's presentation. We just need test results for one of the slides. Also a slide for current hypotheses (after experimentation) and future plans of attack.

This was basically just an update.

-Nasim

The Contraption

So we've received the plexi glass and we have pulleys to use (thanks to Mr. Hill). I'm getting the plywood, springs, and bars over the weekend at Home Depot.
We only need the adhesive.
So we were hoping that UMass could possible send us some PDMS so we could start out with that when we begin testing, which I hope will be soon.
Thanks

-Nasim

FOR WAB LAB

Hey guys,

If you could all check out what type of Bromelain you want to buy that would be awesome. I have left some (one) type on the table. If you could do that I can start testing next week. Getting chicken breast will be easy. Also write down what size sample you want to use, etc. I will be up to WAB when I get out of practice. Our practices are short, so if you guys are still here i'll run up!
Thanks guys!

Anthony_

Progress

Well, we've got the design set and the plexi-glass is ordered and on its way. Hopefully that'll arrive soon so that we'll be able to build it.
The new design (which I haven't posted on the blog), involved an upward pull using a pulley system. It'll be easier to picture once I have an image on the blog.
Once the system is built, we'll start testing. But for now, just waiting for the glass. I'll be providing plywood, springs, and other materials, unless someone wants to help?

-Nasim

New Tab

I've added a new tab (Design). It's just an image of what the experimental design will be. As I said in my earlier post, located below, the group needs to stay after to order materials and eventually put it together. I can't stay after for more than 10 minutes until November 17th. But, just for those of you who don't know what we're going to be doing, the design is shown on the tab named DESIGN. J

-Nasim

Updates: Science Fair and Progress

Science Fair:
About a week ago, the Adhesion Legion decided on members who are going to attend the science fair: Nasim, Lisa, and Artur. Other than that, I've been working on the research plan and it is finally complete! I'll need someone to look at it, but it's basically done. So, success!

Progress:
Over the past week, working on the research plan for the science fair has helped me understand what we are exactly going to do! On the last friday that we visited UMass, the group decided to work with normal force. The experimental design involves compliance, which we all know means the stretchiness of an object. There are four springs attached to and holding up a horizontal plexi-glass plane. The adhesive is stuck to the bottom (or top, depending on which direction we're going to pull), and is pulled down. We can either pull it by hand or use the bucket of sand idea that UMass gave us. Both ways work. The failure force is recorded for a variety of spring compliances. We determine the compliance at which the adhesive works best and relate the compliance to an actual surface. Eventually, we'll be working with a variety of adhesives.

I think all we have to do now is actually make the contraption we'll be using. Unfortunately, I have class after school until November 16, so I can't stay after for more than 10 minutes. But I hope that won't stop any of the Adherers from staying after to put it together.

-Nasim Cheraghi

Need a Meeting

Adhesion, we definitely need to meet this week BEFORE Friday, a quick little meeting. The science fair group needs to be decided by drawing out of a hat after school on Wednesday. The names of those of you who show up will be put in the hat and two names will be drawn. There are 7 people in our group, including me. So 2 out of 6 will be chosen tomorrow. Please show up if you're interested.
Also, I've been working on the Science Fair's research plan, but it's not that easy to do this all by myself. I definitely need a second pair of eyes checking what I write down for the plan.
So please, if you can, try thinking about several things:
1. Question/Problem being addressed
2. Hypothesis
3. Detailed Procedure/ Experimental Design
4. Bibliography
Even if you don't end up being chosen for the science fair, please continue to contribute to the group. We need to work together as a group in order to get things finished.

Thanks, and hope to see you after school Wednesday,
-Nasim

New Plan

So, the group has been thinking of possible plans of action. We've gone through the vertical idea, as in a gecko walking up a tree. However, UMass is doing that. We found it difficult to work with the supplies and money we had to carry out an experiment like that which UMass is doing. Also, the purpose of the experimentation wasn't clear. So we want to attempt a new idea: hanging from a ceiling.

The group didn't want to continue the idea from UMass (walking vertically upward) because we all believe that the WAB group was created to test our creative thinking. We want to design an experiment involving an adhesive pad stuck to a horizontal plane (like a ceiling), pulling down, and searching for the concentration of a specific adhesive that sticks best from a ceiling. Finding this concentration and knowing how much force the adhesive can handle can lead us to determining what objects this specific adhesive at these concentrations can hold up from a ceiling. Ultimately, the goal is to find a good adhesive. We'll work with one adhesive at first and possibly branch off to other types of adhesives.

The new idea definitely involves more concepts. We're not sure what types of forces are involved but that will be what I (Nasim) will be working on during my independent study. If the people from UMass have any thoughts on what we think we want to do, please say something. The plan we have is a bit different from what we started with and we're hoping that it still has a interesting purpose.

Also, (sorry about writing so much), we were wondering a bit about plate buckling and the idea of wrinkling. I spent the first 2 weeks of school reading and understanding the packets on wrinkling, and right now I don't really understand what that topic had to do with adhesion. I'll look over it again, but an explanation/clarification would be nice.

----any questions on what we're planning on doing, please ask.

-Nasim Cheraghi

IM IN FINALLY!

Hey guys I'm in! Let me know if i can be of any assistance even though I am from cavitation nation!
Also, I am your Plexi-glass guy! (if you need it)

~Anthony

Meeting

The science fair is coming up! Adhesion Legion, we really need to meet up this week. Mrs. Dickson won't be present on friday, but we can find another room to work in. So far, I've gotten the idea of 'compliance', and everything that comes with it, down. I just need to share with all of the Legion members what they mean and how they relate to our project.
I can't stay after on thursday, I have to go to Newcomer's Club. Actually, I'll try to make it.
So how about Thursday and Friday? I'll inform everyone on facebook as well.
Hope to see you guys!
-Nasim

Great job!

This looks great....it is a wonderful way to communicate. Are we meeting more than once this week?
Mrs. D.

Things are looking good

Saw the notes on compliance and such.  Great.  Let us know if you have questions or ideas to bounce off us.  I'm loving reading the posts!

I'm in

This is looking great!~ Just a few notes on compliance after reading your post---make sure that you realize that two different materials can have the same compliance under certain conditions.  First, compliance is a product of both materials properties and geometry.  So, two materials that have different materials properties could have the same compliance if their geometries are different.  Second, the materials properties that are most closely related to compliance for an isotropic material are the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio.  These properties are not necessarily unique to a given material.  In other words, two materials of different compositions may have the same elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio.

I'm in

Hey I'm in, even though I'm a cavitator ;)

In I am

New Members

Hey WAB,

I'm still getting used to using the blog, so I think I correctly invited the WABbers and people from UMass. But just to be certain, please post an "okay" or "I'm in" (or some form of post confirming that you are now a member) on the page. If you don't know how, look at the top right corner of the page and click "New Post". It took me a while to find it the first time.

Plus, if you notice something wrong with the page, please tell me. Especially with the information that I provided in the tabs. Hopefully I'm on the right track.

-Nasim C.