Friction Project

By: Justin Dodd, Ethan Clews, Tom Willard, Seth Kimball, Nick

Tarr, Matt Buckner

Purpose:

• The purpose of this project was to create a device that would help us show the relationship between static and kinetic friction in a fun and interactive manner.

• The second purpose of this project was to show how friction is involved in everyday engineering.

Physics Explained:

• The physics involved in this project have to do with the coefficient of friction.

• Friction is the rubbing of one object or surface against another.

• Friction in terms of physics is a force that resists the relative motion of two bodies in contact.

Physics Formula’s Involved:

• μ = Ff/Fn

• Fn = Cosθ (MG)

• Ff = μ(cosθ( MG))

Drawings of Custom Parts:

Bill Of Materials:

Gant Progress Chart:

• Click Here:

General Operation:

• Before operation of the Spunky Friction Tester, be sure you completely understand the entire functioning of the device. If you are not certain in your skills of operating the tester, seek help from a trained professional.

• To begin testing, select the mass you will use in the carrier sled. We recommend you use a mass that is between 1 Kg and 5 Kg. The drive cable on the friction tester may be damaged or break if you use a mass greater than specified.

Operation Part 2:

• Lower the carrier sled to the lowest position on the incline ramp. Place your mass in the carrier sled. Rotate the drive handle, which extends from the drive pulley, in a clockwise direction. Monitor the spring scale carefully as you slowly rotate the handle. Rotate the handle at no more than 10 rev per min. While monitoring the spring scale, you will notice the scale rising until it reaches a point and drops back down. The maximum value that the scale reaches before dropping is your static frictional value.

Operation Part 3:

• After the drop, the scale should hold a steady value while the sled rises up the incline. This value is your kinetic frictional value. Record the two values and repeat if desired.

•There are 3 levels of involvement for the operator(s). One person should be in charge of loading the desired masses into the sled, and recording the appropriate mass as related to the trial number. The second person should be charged with operating the handle, which starts the experiment.

Operation Part 4:

• The third person should carefully watch the spring scale to record the static and kinetic frictional values. When this person reads the values aloud, the first person, who recorded the masses, should record the static and kinetic values.

• The Spunky Friction Tester takes up a minimal of resources. It can be operated sufficiently on a regular tabletop.

Operation Part 5:

• The tester requires no electricity, making it a fun and educational activity during power outages and thunderstorms.

Web page:

• Here is the web page that our group did for the first part of this project.

• Click Here: