_____Freddy and Adam performed two tests at the Instron Lab. The first test was done to determine the best method of fusing the plexi-glass pieces together. For every joint we used methylene chloride to fused the pieces togther. The second test was done so that we could see what combination of bolt size and washer size was best for putting through plexig-glass.

Test 1: 3/8" Plexi-glass Joint Pull
Adam thought his days in 3rd grade art class would finally pay off... He thought that if we scored the edges of the plexi-glass before applying the methylene chloride that the joint would be a lot stronger. His conclusion was that plexi-glass is not clay. In fact, the smoother the surface of the fused joint the stronger it would be.

The graph shows that the scored joint had the lowest maximum load out of the four test peices. We noticed that even though we used factory edges to fuse that #2 was the most square as far as the pieces were fused together.

Test 2: 3/8" Plexi-glass Bolt Pull
Each test peice had a 12" steel strap attached to the bolt that went through the plexi-glass. Click the image below to see the data we collected from the Instron Lab. We concluded that the area around the edge of the bolt was critical. If enough of the load was spread over the plexi-glass a large load could be sustained.

Pictures