Egg Drop Challenges: Ensuring Safe Delivery of 3 Grade A Eggs

[Mark L]

The egg drop rules are that the container must be less than 1600 cm cubed in volume, wiht no dimension greater than 25 cm and a maximum mass of 1 kg. The eggs must be able to be easily removed after the drop from 2.5 meters. Parachutes may not be used and the device must be in one piece. Three large grade A eggs will have to all survive.
My idea was to make a conical device and surround the eggs in cushion foam, but all of my eggs broke upon impact in testing. Should i elaborate on my idea or is there a better way to get the three eggs down safely.
Thank you for any and all suggestions.

 

[Bob S]

Are your eggs hard-boiled?

 

[inflector]

It might help to at least try to determine why the eggs broke.

Did the cone drop onto its tip? Did it flip over?

Did it bounce? How much deformation took place?

What were the dimensions of the device? How much space separated the eggs? How much separated the edges of the cone from the egg?

We need more information.

 

[James Leighe]

Place the eggs in 3 small boxes that are just big enough, and put something like balled tissue paper in there. Then, get the largest box you can use (ideally made of cardboard because it's light and will deform on impact a bit softening the blow) and hook the little boxes into the big one using rubber bands as supports. 6 for each box. (use staples or something similar) Then put some soft pliable padding in the big box... your done!

To take the eggs out all you have to do is take them out of their boxes.

Something like this picture...

(light blue is mild padding, and dark blue is somewhat stiffer padding)

Also, you could get the box to fall so that the eggs will absorb the impact in their strongest direction by adding fins!
(You could even take this a step further by ensuring the box will land one way, and then setting the eggs up to withstand that specific direction)

Naturally the idea here is the increase the amount of time that it takes to impart the force of the fall onto the eggs.

 

[inflector]

Ah but you've gone and given him the answer... or at least one route.