How Much Weight is Needed to Break Super Glue Under Pressure?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the question of how much weight is needed to break super glue under pressure, specifically considering a scenario where a 1 inch square piece of metal is glued to a table and a weight is hung from it. The conversation explores concepts of force, pressure, and the terminology used in describing these physical properties.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that if the super glue can withstand 1500 lbs psi and the load is uniformly distributed over 1 square inch, then 1500 lbs would be needed to create that pressure.
  • Another participant points out that the discussion is actually about tension rather than pressure.
  • A further contribution clarifies that the relevant term is tensile stress and notes that the given value is likely an ideal case, implying that less force may be required in practical situations.
  • There is acknowledgment of confusion regarding the terminology used, with participants reflecting on their understanding of PSI.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the interpretation of pressure versus tension, indicating a lack of consensus on the terminology and its implications for the problem at hand.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight potential misunderstandings regarding the definitions of pressure and tension, as well as the idealized nature of the super glue's stated strength.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the mechanics of adhesives, physics students exploring concepts of force and pressure, and those curious about practical applications of tensile strength in materials.

big_c147
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Hello All

Myself and a friend have been having a discussion around force and pressure, neither of us have been able to come up with an answer to this question:

My friend has brought some super glue which claims to be able to withstand 1500lbs psi pressure.

This prompted the hypothetical question: If we were to glue a 1 inch square piece of metal to the under side of a table, and were then to hang a weight from it, How much weight would be required to separate the metal from the table?

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction or help us solve our discussion point once and for all!

Thanks in Advance
Craig
 
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What's to figure out? Taking the 'withstand 1500lbs psi pressure' at face value (I'm sure there are many caveats) and assuming your load was uniformly distributed over that 1 square inch, you'd need 1500 lbs to create such a pressure.
 
Hi, It would appear that neither of us actually understood the term PSI and now feel rather silly :P

Thanks for the reply!
 
But that's not pressure, that's tension.
 
Stress, actually (tensile stress to be exact).

Also, note that the given value is probably an absolute ideal case, so in most situations, it would separate with less force than the calculated quantity.
 
JDługosz said:
But that's not pressure, that's tension.
That's true. I just assumed that they meant tension per square inch despite saying "pressure". (But perhaps that's way off.) I should have made that clear.
 

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