Nail Corrosion

Introducing....

Corrosion? I nailed it!

Corrosion is part of building decay and thus is a returning issue.

The Metal Contenders!

Steel (hardy but weak)

Copper (shiny but easy)

and their third brother

Aluminum (the "last but not least" nail)

I introduced each of these nails, plus their extra 2 sets of clones, to varying liquids!

The Water Brawlers!

Snow water (the "what can you really expect?" liquid)

Vinegar (the "probably going to win" liquid)

and their third brother

Salt water (the one that's the median)

Problem and Hypothesis

Which liquid will do the most affects to the nail?

I predict that Vinegar and Steel will be the nail and liquid combo to effect each other the most.

Procedure

1 Start by putting one steel in the first liquid

2 Then one copper,

3 Lastly one Aluminum

4 Repeat this for all the liquids

5 Observe

6 Take out in 2-3 weeks

Table and Chart

Conclusion and Abstract

This experiment was interesting all the way through. The nails reacted in mostly unique ways. Some changed the water color, some rusted, maybe some would have shown both if tested differently. In the end, the liquid that did the most difference was, surprisingly, the snow water. This might have to do with where the snow was collected or possibly even about what is in the air that got mixed into the snow. The biggest results were noted in the snow water + steel combo. This caused the water to become a bit rusty. This is probably because steel has the most corrosive properties of all of the metals and because, as mentioned, the snow could have things mixed into it. Overall, most of the nails did end with N/A for some categories. The nails that didn’t, though, were very interesting to observe and think about.

Nails: The Corrosion

My project was testing the effects of liquids on nails of different types. My liquids were snow water, salt water, and vinegar. My nails were steel, copper, and aluminum. My hypothesis was that steel would be the most effected and that vinegar would do the most changes to the nails. I chose this topic due to a recent interest in the show “Life After People”, where corrosion was a common reason for buildings to fall.

My experiment was done in a temperate room, even though that doesn’t do much in the long run. I set up 9 containers. 3 of them had vinegar, 3 of them had snow water, and the last 3 had salt water. I arranged them in a square. Then, I put one of the nails in each container. Afterwards, it was just a matter of recording and note taking. To make the evaluating easier, I recommend doing this in an open room that you can check daily.

My results are extremely odd. The liquid that did the most changes was the snow water. This might have to do with where the snow was collected or about what is in the air that got mixed into the snow. The most noted results were from the Water + Steel combo. This caused the water to get brown. This is probably because steel has the most corrosive properties of all of the metals. The second weirdest part was when I saw the vinegar had been turned blue by the copper. The most affected: Steel and Snow water. (rust) Second most affected: Steel and Salt water (small amount of rust). Third most affected: Copper and Vinegar (Turned water blue?!).

From this project, I’ve gotten a deeper meaning out of the base reason of research. My hypothesis was only partly correct, I had guessed steel correctly, but when snow water was the winning liquid, I was surprised. Possible issues in my experiment could have been how long it was sitting or where it was collected. My experiment could have rendered different results if I had used tap water instead of the snow water outside. But, for the most part, I’d say the experiment was as accurate as I could make it. There wasn’t exactly any big problems. From what I’ve collected, it seems to make sense. Possible variables that could be changed are the types of liquids, nail materials, leaving caps on or off, or if there was more time to test with.