Noah Good Wood?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The goal of my project was to find the best wood to use when building in a flood zone. My hypothesis was that the wood that absorbed the least amount of water would be the best to use. Methods/Materials I tested nine different types of wood that are commonly used as building materials. Prior to testing them, I weighed each sample. I set them in a pan of warm water dyed with food coloring and let them soak overnight. The next day I weighed them again, and calculated the difference in the weight and the percent of change. I also conducted a rate of absorption test to determine how fast the samples absorbed water in 2 minutes. Results Oak absorbed the least amount of water and had the lowest percent of change. Although Douglas fir did not absorb the most water, it had the highest percent of change. This led me to conclude that oak is the most practical for building in a flood zone and Douglas fir is the worst building material for construction. Conclusions/Discussion I found that Oak is one of the hardest woods used in the construction of buildings. It is very commonly used because of this property. I also found out that soft woods are not very strong and absorb water easily, making them poor building materials. My hypothesis was correct. The wood that absorbed the least amount of water would be the best for building in a flood zone.

Competition history

• CSEF 2014 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1316

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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