Identify the Problem
Our problem is that we need to protect the egg from getting crushed by the water bottle, so we have to build a crumple zone to protect it.
Generating Ideas
One of the ideas we came up with to protect the egg is to get two pieces of paper and staple it together, and then wrap it up into a cylinder. You make two of these cylinders. Then you make a bigger cylinder to surround and hold in the two smaller cylinders. Our problem was with this idea was the idea was too stiff when the water bottle hit it, the force wasn't absorbed at all and went to the egg. The second idea we came up with was to fold the pieces of paper up like springs and then put a box around it to hold them together.
Constraints
In this project we can only use this type of paper, staples, absorb impact, and it has to be four inches by four inches. This has limited us because we can't use any other materials that could help us with the crumple zone, we have to think outside of the box.
Criteria
Our crumple zone has to be lightweight to protect the egg. The paper is sort of lightweight, but you can't do too much with the paper and staples to hold the water bottle. Another thing is it has to be aesthetically pleasing so the egg doesn't get embarrassed by an ugly crumple zone.
Research
We made both of our ideas. When we made our first idea and tested it we found out that it didn't crumple at all and transferred all of the force straight into the egg. In the second idea that we built; when we tested it, it absorbed the impact but we do not think it will absorb all of it so we aren't sure if its 100% effective.
Problem Solution
Our idea that we think will work is the second one. Using folded up pieces of paper as a spring to help absorb the impact and the outside (box) helps keep the springs together. Also the box an act like a spring too on the sides of the box when it folds up it is able to take in some of that impact.
Selecting the best idea
Summary
We have selected the spring idea because, we think it will be more effective with shock absorbing than the cylinder would. Though it is not as good looking, looks don't matter on how effective something works. It only matters if the model or design can get the job done or not. The springs that we put in the middle of the box would help take in the impact and protect the egg from getting cracks or being crushed. If this plan does not workout as well as we hope then we will just make our original design with the cylinder.
Redesign
After testing our design we were able to successfully protect our egg. The egg had no cracks or anything like that, now as we go back and look at our design for the second test we gotta make it lighter. Our group liked our idea that we tested so we stuck to the springs. Except this time we only made one cylinder with half a piece of paper to make it lighter and fold other half sheets of paper and stick it into the middle. It is still four inches long but about two inches shorter compared to our testing design. We weighed it in and it was 12 grams, we checked to see if the springs were the same in our original design by bouncing it on the table. Both bounced up to the same height, so we expect our egg to have little to no cracks at all for the second testing.
Overall our first testing was more of a success than our second, mostly because our first one did not break. In the second testing we tried to keep the same design but just make it a lot lighter. We made the cylinder that holds all the springs smaller than before by making using one piece of paper, and used half sheets of paper and folded them up as springs. When it was tested it did not absorb the impact at all, it just got crushed by the water bottle. After looking at all the other designs they all had an origami shape design to help stop/ slow down the water bottles impact. I think we should have put something on top of it to help slow down the impact, instead of only relying on the springs to do all the work.
Overall our first testing was more of a success than our second, mostly because our first one did not break. In the second testing we tried to keep the same design but just make it a lot lighter. We made the cylinder that holds all the springs smaller than before by making using one piece of paper, and used half sheets of paper and folded them up as springs. When it was tested it did not absorb the impact at all, it just got crushed by the water bottle. After looking at all the other designs they all had an origami shape design to help stop/ slow down the water bottles impact. I think we should have put something on top of it to help slow down the impact, instead of only relying on the springs to do all the work.