Can the Force of a Falling Object be Calculated to Test Product Durability?

[Cardinal47]

I have created a piece of equipment that drops a steel weight, which weighs 5 lb, with a surface area of 1.69 sq. in. The weight can be dropped from 1' all the from 6'. The purpose of the piece of equipment is to test the durability of one of our products. The problem is we do not have the right equipment to record delta T. Another problem is we are testing different materials, so delta T will always be changing. My question, is there a way to calculate the estimated force that the steel weight is producing? This way we can get a better understanding of our product's durability.

 

[neu]

By $$\Delta T$$ I presume you mean the period of the force, i.e the time over which the force is applied.

 

[Cardinal47]

Yes.