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General Engineering Science Fair Project

Testing the Strength of Hot Air Balloon Materials

Hard
Testing the Strength of Hot Air Balloon Materials | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
We're testing which material is best for hot air balloons: nylon or polyester. We'll measure the strength of each material by dropping a counter sink with holder from two feet above until the material tears or rips. We'll also heat the materials to see if that affects their strength.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that polyester will be stronger than nylon.

Method & Materials

You will cut 5 squares each of polyester and nylon, twist the material on boards around one time and staple it in place, drop the counter sink from two feet above until the material tears or rips, and heat the materials in an oven.
You will need 10 50.8x30.48 cm squares of nylon, 10 50.8x30.48 cm squares of polyester, 4 50.8x12.7 cm pieces of wood, 6 screws, 1 31x18 cm tray, 1 oven, 1 60.96 cm measuring ruler, 2 people helpers, 1 counter sinker with holder, and 1 screw driver.

Results

The results showed that polyester outperformed nylon for strength regardless of whether the cloth had been heated or not. Polyester never broke even with 10 impacts of the counter sink, while the nylon averaged just two impacts of the metal sink before breaking.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it tests the strength of two materials that are commonly used in hot air balloons.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing the strength of silk vs. nylon and running the test several more times.

Full project details

You can find additional information and details for this science fair project here. Have fun exploring!

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