Temp rise due to hammering nails

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around estimating the temperature rise of an iron nail due to the kinetic energy transferred from a hammer striking it multiple times. The problem involves concepts from mechanics and thermodynamics, specifically kinetic energy and heat transfer.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the kinetic energy of the hammer and its transfer to the nail, questioning how this energy relates to temperature change. There are discussions about whether to recalculate kinetic energy for the nail and how to apply specific heat in the context of the problem.

Discussion Status

Participants have made progress in understanding the energy transfer involved in the hammering process. Some have suggested multiplying the kinetic energy by the number of hammer blows to find total energy, while others are clarifying the role of the nail's mass and specific heat in calculating temperature change. There is no explicit consensus, but productive lines of reasoning are being explored.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the nail absorbs all the energy from the hammer, and there are discussions about the implications of this assumption on the calculations. The specific heat of iron and the mass of the nail are noted as important factors in the energy transfer process.

Bradracer18
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Here's my question...

The 1.20 kg head of a hammer has a speed of 6.5m/s just before it strikes a nail and is brought to rest. Estimate the temperature rise of a 14 gram iron nail generated by ten such hammer blows done in quick succession. Assume the nail absorbs all the energy.


The picture shows a hammer hitting a nail with the swings being horizontal(as if you were nailing into a wall...not the floor).


So, I can't seem to get my formulas set to get past a certain point. This is what I've done so far(which is not much).

W= 4.186 J = 1 cal of heat
W = Fd
F=ma------where I get stuck...I've got velocity, but not acceleration.

Thanks for any help...I'd be glad to work it with some help...or maybe I can work it a little further until I get stuck again(if I do).

Brad
 
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How much kinetic energy does the hammer possesses before it hits the nail? What happens to that energy?
 
Ok...well I kinda see where you are going, but still need a bit more direction.

KE=1/2mv^2

KE(hammer)=25.35 J -----So I think this energy is now transferred into the nail, with some lost to heat?? Or, do I have to recaculate the KE for the nail(using its mass)?


I'm also not real sure how this energy(J) is going end up giving me a temp measurment...will I eventually relate it to the specific heat of iron?

Thanks again and I'll keep working...

Brad
 
Bradracer18 said:
So I think this energy is now transferred into the nail, with some lost to heat?? Or, do I have to recaculate the KE for the nail(using its mass)?
What's the speed of the nail after you hit it with a hammer? (Hint: Nothing to calculate.)


I'm also not real sure how this energy(J) is going end up giving me a temp measurment...will I eventually relate it to the specific heat of iron?
Absolutely.
 
The speed of the hammer would be directly transferred to the nail...so it would be 6.5m/s. With that in mind(and the nails mass), I found KE(nail)=.296 J

Do I multiply 10 swings into both the KE of the nail and the KE of the hammer?? I'm thinking I do, it just seems obvious. Then I'm thinking I have to Joule measurements...so then do I multiply them both by the specific heat of iron...and add them together to obtain a final amount of heat created?

Thanks again!
 
Bradracer18 said:
The speed of the hammer would be directly transferred to the nail...so it would be 6.5m/s.
No! You bang a nail into the wall, does it goes shooting through the wall? (Let's hope not.) No, when the hammer hits, the nail moves a bit, then hammer and nail both stop. The KE of the nail is zero. (That's why I said there is nothing to calculate. :smile: )

All of the KE of the hammer gets absorbed by the nail as thermal energy.
 
Ok...that does make sense, as I think of it more and more.

So, now I am thinking that I multiply my KE(hammer) by 10 swings to find total KE. Then do I use an equation similar to U(internal energy) = N(1/2mv^2)...where N is number of molecules?? This doesn't seem like the right equation though. Also, I can't yet understand why they gave me the mass of the nail(and maybe that is for later in the problem).
 
[tex]\frac{1}{2} m v^2 = mc \theta[/tex]
 
Last edited:
Bradracer18 said:
So, now I am thinking that I multiply my KE(hammer) by 10 swings to find total KE.
Right.

Then do I use an equation similar to U(internal energy) = N(1/2mv^2)...where N is number of molecules?? This doesn't seem like the right equation though.
It's not. Think specific heat of iron, which you mentioned earlier. (You'll need the mass of the nail.)
 
  • #10
Ok, well I am thinking this now.

KE(total) = 253.5 J

Q = mc*(change in T)

Change in T = Q/mc

253.5 J * .014 Kg * 450 J/Kg*deg C = 40.24 deg C

Even close?
 
  • #11
yeah I knew they did heat up...as I used to frame houses/apartment buildings for a few yrs...
 
  • #12
nevermind...ha...just noticed the problem was odd, so I checked it in the back, and I have the correct answer!

Thanks a ton Doc Al!

Brad
 

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