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Forces and Motion Science Fair Project

Hole Size, Hole Count, and Shock Absorber Damping

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Hole Size, Hole Count, and Shock Absorber Damping | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does one large hole in a shock absorber piston work the same as many small holes? Shock absorbers slow a piston by forcing fluid through holes in a damper disk. This project tests whether hole count matters when the total area stays the same. You build custom damper disks with single holes of different sizes. You also build matching disks with multiple small holes at the same total area. You place a weight on the shock absorber and time how long it takes to compress. Compression times were nearly identical for single and multiple holes at equal area. Smaller total area meant more damping and slower compression.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the time that it takes for the piston to compress single and multiple holes will be very close if the total surface area is kept constant throughout all the tests.

Method & Materials

You will need to dismount the shock absorber, drill out disks from plywood, drill holes in the disks, attach the disks to the shock absorber, and place the shock absorber in a vise grip.
You will need a Fox shock absorber, a 3.81 cm hole saw drill bit, a 0.9525 cm drill bit, an electric drill, birch plywood, a stop watch, a vise grip, a lid to a 35mm film canister, cooking oil, an X-Acto hobby knife, a tube of epoxy, a paint brush, 1.59 mm, 2.78 mm, 3.18 mm, 3.97 mm, 4.37 mm, 5.95 mm, and 6.35 mm drill bits, a 202.4 gram weight, and a 3.1 cm hole saw drill bit.

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Results

The results of the experiment indicate that the larger the holes are the less amount of damping takes place and the smaller the holes are the greater amount of damping takes place. It also doesn't matter if there are fewer or more holes in the damper because the compression time is too close to matter in a simple shock absorber.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting and unique because it explores how the size and number of holes in a shock absorber affects the time it takes for the piston to compress, which can help car designers ensure a much safer and smoother ride.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing different weights on the shock absorber and testing different types of shock absorbers.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related video

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
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