Science Project Glue

Adhesives project

Aim:

To investigate different adhesives, find out how they chemically bond things together, find which one is best as well as find environmental issues concerned in production of adhesives and why sniffing glue is bad for you. I must also do a practical experiment and comment on the ethics of use.

My adhesives are:

* Pritt Stick : R7,99

* Wood Glue : R26,95

* Glue gun : R79,95 + Glue sticks pack (R10)

* Vinyl Bonding Adhesive : R13,65

How They Chemically Bond Things:

Pritt sticks work by placing a thin layer of a quick drying, sticky fibrous substance on to a surface. This will quickly dry causing the fibers to contract and bond to what is touching it (preferably paper). The bond is not very strong but appropriate for bonding thin surfaces where a strong bond isn't required like on paper or cardboard. Also, the glue spreads into tiny cracks and contracts with what is around it, causing a bond but all glues do this and well as manipulate Van de Waal's forces and hydrogen bonds.

Wood glue is a substance called polyvinyl acetate is another adhesive and is used more for porous material. It is a liquid that seeps into gaps and hardens and contracts thus bonding two materials together. Van de Waal's forces also come into play here. It is also partly a thermoplastic substance.

Wood glue is a thermoplastic adhesive which comes solid, melts down and quickly hardens form a sticky liquid that will bond almost anything together. This does not rely on Van de Waal's forces heavily but uses strong hydrogen bonds to stick.

Vinyl Bonding Adhesive is the same as wood glue except modified slightly to work a bit better on vinyl materials or carpets. Otherwise they are the same.

Practical: Which has the best value:

I am going to do my practical experiment on this aspect of the project on metal as each glue will obviously do best on what it is made for. However none are made for metal and thus we can compare easier if no glue has an advantage.

Aim: To find which adhesive is best value for money for a specified purpose(bonding metal)

Hypothesis: Glue gun will be the strongest but vinyl glue will be best value for money.

Apparatus and materials:

The 4 glues + glue gun for hot glue

8 Metal Tazo's (once found in Simba Chips packets)

Method: Will firstly give each glue a price rating out of 5 with reasons, 1 being expensive 5 being cheap. Will then glue two Tazo's together across a common surface area with each glue type and wait for them all to dry. After this I will try to separate them with force giving them each a strength rating out of ten, ten being strongest and 1 weakest. I will then add the 2 scores together and the glue with the highest is best value for money

Results

Glue Pritt Stick Wood Glue Glue Gun Vinyl Adhesive

Price Rating /5 5 3 4 5

Reason It is cheap and It is fairly cheap Expensive to start Very lasts for long and lasts a out but glue is cheap for

while depending cheap in the long a large

on how much run and will last container

is needed for job.

Strength Rating /10 2 3 10 3

Reason Held together Held together Couldn't separate, Held

but broke but broke easily, even with pliers together

immediately almost as easily as and a knife but was

after