Our first experiment had us test wood durability in general, study different kind of wood on insect resistance, weather resistance, and cost. We tested cedar, fir, pine, composite, and stacked planks that consisted of cedar/pine. We decided to leave them outside in the sun with a little bit of water, and had the tank heated up from oxygen deprivation (we covered the top of the tank.) When we studied the wood, we found out that cedar is naturally pest-resistant because insects and molds do not like cedar oil. Rodents cannot live with cedar oil and will run away from the presence of it. Cedar kills bugs, fleas, and lice. Cedar is also 100% safe for humans and pets of all kinds. Cedar seems like a really good choice of wood and it resisted very well during our humidity test. The only problem is that cedar is relatively expensive and we have a budget. Pine is also another choice because it did really well during our humidity test and is less expensive than cedar but we do sacrifice the natural pest-resistance that we do not require for the time being.
Secondly, we decided to test the material of ropes. The yellow rope is polypropylene, the white rope is nylon, and the big brown rope is made of fiber. We decided to put the ropes through a humidity test in a glass fish tank filled with a little water and deprived of air. We left them out in the sun over the weekend to ensure the durability of the ropes for longer periods of time. All the ropes seemed to work well but we could definitely see the effect on the polypropylene rope (it was untangling). We began to refine our research and find what kind of jobs these ropes are used for. We found out that nylon was used for helicopter ropes and boat ropes which are proved to last/be durable.
We finally got our hinges and the hinges shown above are butt hinges.
Secondly, we decided to test the material of ropes. The yellow rope is polypropylene, the white rope is nylon, and the big brown rope is made of fiber. We decided to put the ropes through a humidity test in a glass fish tank filled with a little water and deprived of air. We left them out in the sun over the weekend to ensure the durability of the ropes for longer periods of time. All the ropes seemed to work well but we could definitely see the effect on the polypropylene rope (it was untangling). We began to refine our research and find what kind of jobs these ropes are used for. We found out that nylon was used for helicopter ropes and boat ropes which are proved to last/be durable.
We finally got our hinges and the hinges shown above are butt hinges.