Rock Solid: Bricks constructed of recylable bottles

[jgilroy]

7th grade project:
I have constructed three bricks using cement; two also have varying percentages of recyclable plastic (milk, soda, water bottles (cut into small, irregular shapes)and polymer pellets) put into the mix. One brick is 100% concrete, the second is 75% concrete and 25% plastic materials and the third is 50% concrete and 50% plastic materials.

I enjoy building and want to be environmentally friendly at the same time. My hypothesis is that the brick with the 50/50 mix will be the stronger of the three bricks. I plan on placing the bricks outside to determine weathering over 4 weeks and then to determine the strength/durability of the bricks.

I need help with setting up my charts and suggestions for strength/durability testing. Any ideas?

[jgilroy]

7th grade project:
I have constructed three bricks using cement; two also have varying percentages of recyclable plastic (milk, soda, water bottles (cut into small, irregular shapes)and polymer pellets) put into the mix. One brick is 100% concrete, the second is 75% concrete and 25% plastic materials and the third is 50% concrete and 50% plastic materials.

I enjoy building and want to be environmentally friendly at the same time. My hypothesis is that the brick with the 50/50 mix will be the stronger of the three bricks. I plan on placing the bricks outside to determine weathering over 4 weeks and then to determine the strength/durability of the bricks.

I need help with setting up my charts and suggestions for strength/durability testing. Any ideas?

[darkalliant]

Hi there. I am also a student i was intreged by your idea.

I would just like to add a question? How would this relate to Earth Science? Would it be somewhat related to rocks and minerals or erosion?

Thank you.

[satfire311]

Well, I like the idea of wethering, but I also think you should have more. Try recreating natural disasters(earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.) and see which brick holds up the best.
As for the charts, measure each brick and find the area and/or volume. Then, after four days, measure them again and take notes of other changes. Depending if you do the natural disaster idea, you could measure the scale of it and see which level each brick cracks/breaks.

[jgilroy]

Thank you for emailing me. I have finished my experiments and I am really happy with the results.

My project really is about building and making a prototype of something that might be used. I really like Earth Science and rocks. That is how I began to think about this project. I understand how rocks are formed, the layers, the right natural materials that are compressed together and then of course our elements like water, wind, heat.

I observed my bricks for three weeks noting the observable, physical changes. Then I brought them inside and forced the elements...one right after another. I froze the bricks in -17C for 24 hours; then right after measurements I leached them in 20C water for 24 hours. Again after measurements I baked in a 300 F (I don't have my C calculation in front of me) and baked them. Again after measuring/weighing/observing, I went out for my final experiment, dropping the brick from 3 ft (calculating force) to determine durability.

I have more than enough data and figureed out my charts. I am psyched!
I got great results!

Thanks for your interest!

[Mad Scientist]

Satfire, it was a great suggestion - to try recreating natural disasters to test the durability of the bricks. Jgilroy, thanks for sharing your results. We really appreciate that. You might want to consider joining us as a mentor on our forums - to help others. It's obvious that you have a keen interest in science. Ask Satfire - one of our best mentors - who I'm sure will tell you how interesting and educational the whole experience has of being a Mentor has proven to be!

[dreamerofeternity]

Really interesting experiment.