Bilash AcP
Design a Crumple Zone
Build the most effective crumple zone to protect your passenger – an egg.
Objective
This is an project to be completed at home. You can work alone or with one partner. You
are to design and build a crumple zone attached to a vehicle that transports an egg. The
entire device (crumple zone, vehicle and egg) must be as light as possible and the
crumple zone must be as short in length as possible -- yet durable enough to protect an
egg when dropped from a height of 2.0 m. The device may not bounce upon hitting the
ground. Think of the egg as a passenger in a car going through a crash test. Your job is
to design a crumple zone that will result in the egg decelerating slowly upon impact.
Note: Your device must be designed such that is accelerates at all times as it falls towards the ground.
Devices may not be designed to achieve a terminal velocity or to maximize air resistance as it falls. All
devices should come into contact with the ground with nearly the same velocity. The scope of this project
is to design a crumple zone that will decelerate an egg safely.
No height restrictions
Vehicle compartment
that contains the egg
The shorter the crumple length (height)
the more points you will earn.
Crumple zone
10.0 cm max
Scoring
+10 pts:
+10 pts:
+40-60 pts:
+1-10 pts:
+1-10 pts:
- 5 pts:
- 1st Prototype is built & tested in school by Wednesday June4
- 2nd Prototype is built at home but tested in school Friday, June 6
- Condition of Egg
- * 60 pts if egg survives the fall fully intact (no cracks whatsoever)
* or, 55 pts if the egg is cracked, but passes the Wet Crack Test
* or 50 pts if the egg fails the Wet Crack Test but passes the
Hemorrhage Test
* or, 45 pts if egg fails the Hemorrhage Test
* or, 40 pts if the yolk breaks (passenger is brain dead)
Note: condition of the egg is evaluated AFTER extraction
- will be granted for the length of the crumple zone. Shortest will receive
10 points, longest=1.
- will be granted for the mass of the contraption. Lightest will receive 10
points, heaviest=1.
If it bounces.
Note: Students will earn zero points if the project is not completed by the Drop Date or if it does not meet
reasonable minimum requirements outlined on the next page or is disqualified for violating the spirit of this
assignment or for whining.
Rules
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All projects are required to adhere to the ALL of the following requirements to qualify
for submission (disqualified projects will earn zero). No exceptions!
1. The egg must weight at least 55 grams (Grade A large). Only fresh, raw, store
bought chicken eggs may be used. You may NOT alter the egg in any way. No
materials (such as tape or glue) may be bonded to the egg at any time. Mr.
Bilash will provide all eggs for the three tests. You will have 60 seconds to
insert the egg into your device.
2. The egg and the project must weigh less than 50 grams.
3. Your entire device – crumple zone and vehicle may not exceed a horizontal
width of 15 cm in diameter. There is no height limit. (Note: the bottom of the
device must fall a height 1.5 m.)
4. The device may NOT bounce.
5. The vehicle must have an access door with a reusable latch system that can open
and close readily so that the egg can be placed into the device and then removed
within 60 seconds.
6. The ONLY materials permitted are as follows: flat toothpicks and hot glue.
All devices will be dropped from a height of 1.5 meters (just below the height of the
ceiling lights in room 136). The device will fall into a large plastic container. If it hits the
sides and survives, you will have to drop the device again. If it breaks when it hits the
side of the container – you’re done. (Note: if your device does not fall on it’s intended
crumple zone it will not be retested)
You must build and test at least 2 prototypes. Prototypes will be tested in class. It is
anticipated that your final device will work better and be lighter than your prototypes.
Each time you test your prototype, you must have the Data Sheet (see third page of this
packet) signed by your teacher.
Devices will be impounded on Drop Day. That is, you must turn in your device into
the physics lab prior to 7:55 on Drop Day. No changes will be permitted once
submitted. Once turned in devices may not be touched by anyone other than its owner.
Please have your name and class period written on it.
Once a project hits the ground only its owner may retrieve it. The device must then be
presented without alteration to the teacher for inspection. Students will then have 60
seconds to remove the egg from the device and then present the egg for inspection. You
my use any tools of your choosing to extract the egg (ex: mini jaws of life). A 10 pt.
penalty will be assigned for exceeding the time limit.
If necessary to determine if a crack is wet or not, the Wet Crack Test will be performed.
To administer the test, a piece of single ply tissue paper is placed over the cracked area.
If the tissue becomes wet, then the egg is deemed to have a wet crack.
If it is necessary to determine if the contents of an egg are actively leaking out or not,
then the Hemorrhage Test will be performed. To administer the test, the egg is held with
the crack facing downward for twenty seconds. If any liquid seeps from the egg or
protrudes more than 5 mm, then the egg is deemed to be actively leaking.
Review the score sheet carefully. Notice that the most important
component of the score requires that you ensure that the egg survives.
Weight and crumple zone is important – but they are secondary to
survival.
© 2013, Borislaw Bilash II
Name __________________________
Egg Drop Project Data Sheet & Rubric
(Note: Your sketch must be of good quality with all components clearly labeled)
Prototype 1:
Prototype 2:
Sketch & label your design in the box
Sketch your design in the box
Mass of Prototype 1 + egg: __________
Mass of Prototype 2 + egg: __________
Length of Crumple Zone 1: __________
Length of Crumple Zone 2: __________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Final Device:
How is this design better than the
previous ones?
Sketch your Design in the box
Weight of Device (without egg) = ______
Length of Crumple Zone = ________
Prototype 1 = 10 pts
Prototype 2 = 10 pts
Final Device adheres to rules = 40
Condition of egg
Brain Dead = 0
Wet Crack = 10
Survived = 20
Mass of egg: __________
Hemorrhage = 5
Dry Crack = 15
Points for Weight = ________
Points for Length = ________
Mass of Prototype 1 + egg: __________
Penalties = ________
Length of Crumple Zone = _________
Final Score = __________