
Nylon vs. Polyester Strength for Hot Air Balloons
Medium
Can polyester fabric survive more impacts than nylon before tearing? Hot air balloons need materials that resist punctures and handle high heat.
You stretch squares of nylon and polyester between wood frames. You drop a metal counter sink from two feet above until the fabric rips. You repeat this test multiple times for each material. You also heat both fabrics in an oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit and retest.
Polyester never broke, even after 10 impacts. Nylon tore after an average of just two drops. Heating did not change the result.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that polyester will be stronger than nylon.
Method & Materials
You will cut 5 squares each of polyester and nylon, twist the material on boards around one time and staple it in place, drop the counter sink from two feet above until the material tears or rips, and heat the materials in an oven.
You will need 10 50.8x30.48 cm squares of nylon, 10 50.8x30.48 cm squares of polyester, 4 50.8x12.7 cm pieces of wood, 6 screws, 1 31x18 cm tray, 1 oven, 1 60.96 cm measuring ruler, 2 people helpers, 1 counter sinker with holder, and 1 screw driver.
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See what’s includedResults
The results showed that polyester outperformed nylon for strength regardless of whether the cloth had been heated or not. Polyester never broke even with 10 impacts of the counter sink, while the nylon averaged just two impacts of the metal sink before breaking.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it tests the strength of two materials that are commonly used in hot air balloons.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include testing the strength of silk vs. nylon and running the test several more times.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related video
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