Lesson 4: Gear Up For Shear

Shear testing assesses the shear strength of a material before it breaks. The thought of a metal girder on a bridge shearing off and leading to a total structural failure and a collapse of the bridge is sheer terror. Cheer for shear as you put the Shear-Matic 2012 to the test.

Doing the science

1. Start the Bridge Metal Simulation by clicking on the "Sim" tab.
2. Click on the "Shear Center" button.
3. Click the "New Sample" icon and choose "Sample #1."
4. Record the 10-digit sample code beside the Sample # in Table 1 below.
5. Click on the red lever labeled "Shear" to start the machine.
6. When the metal breaks, record the shear force given by the machine in Table 1 below. You may reset the test by clicking on the red lever labeled "Reset".
7. Click on "New Sample" and repeat steps 4-7 for all seven samples.
8. Based on the force that broke the metal, rank the metals based on strength (1 being the strongest and 7 being the weakest) and record them in Table 1.