Idea's for daughter/dad school project?

[jerrygarcia]

My daughter and I have a project due next Tuesday. I was looking to pick a few brains.

Here it is.

Material:
1/2 sheet of construction paper (8 1/2" x 5 1/2")
Elmer's glue

We have to use this piece of paper to make a support to hold up a stack of at least 10 school books. (10 books = C) We can cut, glue and fold this paper any way we like. The completed structure must be a minimum of 1" tall and be in one piece. It must be independant(teacher has to be able to blow it off the table and be intact) to be able to stand by itself.

This is a crude drawing of my first idea, a crude cardboard structure. The first one held up about 9 books. This is pride and ego. The teacher had a student's project strong enough to hold up 60 books a few years ago.

My daughter is 11 years old by the way.

Any ideas?

[ILC]

What class is this for? And what happens if you all cant make it to be able to hold 10 books?

Anyways, I really dont know anything about engineering, but it seems to me that you should make it as large as the largest book that will be stacked on it. Spread out the weight over the entire thing. Then going off your original idea, instead of making it three layers, make it one. With vertical supports added.

Sample:

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\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|\
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But like I said, I really dont know much about engineering.

ILC

[Knothead]

That one beggar's me! I'm glad MY daughters never came home with something like this! We just made working suspension bridges outta old dental fillings...

Hey Cadd! Crystal!

This one's right up your alley(s)!

[caddmannq]

I think you're on the right track with the corrugations.

You might try making a 1" tall "pipe" at least 3" in outside diameter, with an inner and outer wall 1/4 to 3/8" apart, and fill between the walls with corrugations. You might form it around a coffee cup or glass, and bobbypins might be used to hold it together as it dries. If you have unlimited use of glue, the more joints and corrugations you have the better.

[NeoStarO1]

I think Cadd is on the right track there, altho i don't think coffee cups or bobbypins can be used. I am to understand that the only materials to be used are the construction paper and the glue.

I do what Cadd suggested about the tubes, and since you have till tuesday to build this what about doing cadds idea and then slowly every few hours add more glue to the tubes to make like a solid glued pipe. I wouldn't just fill them up with glue cause you want each layer to dry up wheras if just filled up with glue it won't dry unless you got some sort of dryer sort of thing or heat thing that won't cook the paper but dry up the glue solid tube, that might work.

Dunno, i haven't gotten projects like this with my kids yet.

Let us know how the project works out.

[Mike]

I think that my dad would enjoy getting a project like this. Although when I was 11 didn't have anything like that.

[jerrygarcia]

I like the idea of smaller corrugations. With smaller corrugations, that glue fill could work out really well. When she first showed me the project, I thought of a cardboard box. Yes I am limited to those materials only. So whatever we make, has to come out of that piece of paper. It will be considerable smaller than a book so it has to be sturdy.

[caddmannq]

Neo, I think the student may use pencils, scissors, a ruler, whatever is needed to measure and set up the work. Of course none of this may remain in the final piece as they are only construction aids. One thing that is usually discouraged is the unnecessary use of excess glue. You could certainly strengthen the structure by the repeated application of solid coats of glue. This is usually considered cheating in these kinds of contests.

BTW, Jerry: did you post the entire rules? It usually says that somewhere.

[NeoStarO1]

Good point cadd, didn't think of the rules, frankly to be honest didn't think there was any rules.

So if glue filling is not allowed guess we gotta figure out something else.

[cadetstimp]

The Corrogated pipe on end idea sounds good, but instead of just an inner wall and outer wall... just make a continuos spiral while corrugating between layers until you run out of material.

You might have to make a few prototypes to help decide the best layer spacing, material division (spiral vs. corrugation), and how much to leave open in the center. After a few prototypes you'll know exactly how to get the most out of all the material.

<edit> just thought... it might be easier to make it this way too. Lay a flat strip down, accordian fold another strip, glue accordian strip ontop of flat strip (flat assembly makes it easier), turn over (smooth side facing up), apply glue to smooth side leaving a dry end of about an inch (the center), and then jellyroll the assembly starting at the 1 inch dry end ... the corrugation tops should land on the smooth glue surface as you roll <edit>