TEST 1
The first test was an impact test onto the front end of the insert. This was to simulate the idea of a charpy test. The charpy tester was too small for the actual piece to fit in to an improvised solution came to be.
The test that was ran was using a 10 pound weight to fall down a slide to slam onto the front end of the insert. There was only 10 pounds used because anything higher would be excessive. Through my calculations I found that the 10 pound weight causes about 98 pounds of force from a height of 18 inches. This was roughly 5 times more than originally needed. There was only a need for 20 pounds of force so 98 is great.
This shows that the insert will be protected against impact on all forms for the individual using the insert. The images and video below shows the set up and use of the slide and hammer
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Results: The impact force showed to be 98 pounds which was significantly higher than the required amount of force. The requirement was not the most precise it was just supposed to be a rough estimate for the force allowed. The front end of the shoe was acting as a bumper so there was some lee-way for the force acting on impact. But, having it be 5 times the amount needed showed enough for the project to be a success in that regard.
Test 2
The second test that was completed was the fit test. The fit test was a simple test used to see if the original design of the insert would fit into the shoe it was designed for. The requirement is that the shoe does not spread farther than the anything past the maximum amount of stretching that the shoe can allow and that the shoe can still be tied with ease. If the shoe is stretched passed its maximum point then the shoe will degrade quicker over time causing an expense in shoe buying to go up.
The initial testing process for this showed that the shoe can be stretched a lot further than anticipated. This caused the final fit testing to have more detailed requirements. This involved making the insert be able to come out of the shoe without getting stuck, the insert not stretching the shoe passed its maximum width, being able to tie the shoe tight enough to hold the insert in place, etc. The initial testing method seemed simpler than it was. The fit test is the biggest test for the insert, if the insert cannot fit than there is no it can work overall.
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Results: The result of the first fit test was a failure. The initial design was too bulky and could barely fit into the shoe. This was to be expected however, because it was going off of basic design and simple measurements taken. The next few fit tests that have occurred have shown the fit test to be a success and fit within the requirements. The requirements are strict on this aspect because the shoe needs to not be stretched so it will not cause wear and tear over time. The newest model of the insert fits within the requirements and has shown to be a better fit for the shoe and individual.
Test 3
The third test that was ran was a brinell hardness test. The goal for this test was to show the insert to have a hardness of roughly 100 pounds per square inch. This level of hardness was chosen because it gave a reasonable amount of pounds to land onto the insert as well as accompany the idea of the shoe having extra padding for the insert to have along with the PLA plastic. The test was taken in intervals as to see how high it could go before the piece had gotten a crack or deformity within the test. It went into several tests before completion.
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Results: The results showed that the insert in its current state could withstand about 90 pounds per square inch. This means that the test was a success and showed that even at a 20% density that the insert could be useful as is. The requirement was 100 pounds however, the insert is not at its full density which means when it is the test will show the hardness to be higher and higher than the requirement. It is okay that as of right now the hardness is only 90 pounds per inch, the density is low enough to were it will be well over the requirement when it is all said and done.