Hands-On Activity

Raptor Rescue Challenge

Notice the falcon s fragile bone structure. The bones of birds are typically
hollow to help the bird be light enough to fly. Fractures to wings need special
attention since because feathers are attached to these bones.

Introduction

Biomechanical engineering involves the design and production of devices to improve the lives of
humans, and even other animals.

Imagine that the local Raptor Rescue Group in your community has asked for help in creating a brace
design to aid in the healing of broken bird wings. Raptors are birds of prey with powerful wings and a
large wingspan. The Raptor Rescue Group tries to heal injured raptors that are brought in with injured
wings. Often the injury is caused by the bird flying into windshields, windows, or other structures. The
Raptor Rescue Group uses braces to keep the broken wing immobilized so the bones can heal. The
goal is for the raptor to recover well enough that it can be returned to the wild.

In Part 1, your objective as an engineering design team, is to determine which materials are best suited
for constructing a brace structure.
Your team will need to consider a number of factors:
the material will need to be lightweight
the material will need to be sturdy enough to support the wing
the structure for the brace needs to be 20 cm in length
the material needs to support 200 grams of weight applied to one end

After observing numerous materials, you will choose three different materials to test. Your team will
fashion a 20-cm section of each material. Then, you will to measure and record the mass of the
material and how much it bends or deforms with a set amount of weight attached.

After your team analyzes the results of the materials test, in Part 2 your team will design a three
different structures for a brace based on your data findings and analysis. For example, your team may
decide to use a combination of the best materials for the structure. After testing the brace structures,
you will summarize your findings to share with the Raptor Rescue Group.

Suggested Materials
craft sticks
1/4-inch wooden dowel
3/8-inch wooden dowel
1/2-inch wooden dowel
wooden cooking skewers
metal cooking skewers
straws
rigid plastic tubing
 polypropylene stirring rods
aluminum rods
iron rods
paperclips
ring stand
string
clamp (C-clamp is best)
500-g mass
meter stick
balance or scale
masking tape
electrician's tape
duct tape
rubber bands

Procedure
Remember to be extremely careful with any sharp materials such as
cooking skewers. Always keep the sharp ends away from yourself and
other students.

Part 1: Exploring and Testing Materials

1. Check out the available materials that have been provided by your teacher.
(Note: Your teacher may or may not include additional materials beyond
those listed above.)

2. The material for the wing brace has to be lightweight, but rigid enough to
support a raptor wing. This means a 20-cm length of the material, clamped at
one end, should be able to support a 200-g mass on a string without breaking
or bending more than 0.5 cm. These numbers are called specifications. You
need to find a material for a wing brace that meets these specifications.

3. Identify three materials that you think would function best in a structure for a
wing brace. You will test each material independently.

4. Find a way to create a 20-cm length of material. If necessary, use other

materials, such as the different types of tape available, to connect shorter
pieces.
5. Measure the mass of each 20-cm length of material and record it in the data
table.

6. Using the ring stand and clamp, anchor one end of the material to the ring
stand with a clamp and align the other end of the material with a meter stick.

7. Tie a short length of string around the 200-g mass. Tie the other end of the
string around the free end of the material, and observe whether the material
breaks or bends. If it bends, measure how much it bends and observe how
and where it bends. Record your measurements and observations in the data
table.
 Data Table for Exploring Materials

Material Mass (g) of Amount the

20 cm length of material Observations and Does this material
material bends (cm) meet the specifications for a brace?
with 200 g
mass
attached

Part 2: Designing the Brace

8. Analyze and interpret the data you have collected to determine which
materials meet the specifications given in Step 2.

9. Determine the characteristics of each material, and design three different

structures that could be part of a wing-brace. Your decisions should be
based on your data findings and observations on the materials you tested
in Part 1. For example, you may choose to reinforce a single material with
more of the same type of material or incorporate a combination of other
materials that could enhance the structure for a wing-brace.

10. Sketch a design of each wing-brace structure, label the parts, and the
materials for each part. Make each structure, and go through the same
testing procedures you conducted during your initial trials in Part 1.
Record your results and observations in the Brace Structure Design data
table below.

11. After the testing is complete and you have analyzed the data, make a
recommendation for the design youve settled on and present your
findings and recommendation to the Raptor Rescue Group.
 Data Table for Brace Structure Design

Designed Mass (g) of Amount the

Brace 20 cm length of material Observations
Description re-designed bends (cm)
and Sketch material with 200 g
mass
attached
1

3
Go Further

What if you were designing a brace for a finch with a wingspan of 6 cm that
needed to support a mass of 12 g without breaking or bending? How would your
materials differ? Select materials for a finch wing brace and test the materials.
Compare the performance of different materials at this size and at the larger size.

Analysis

1. After analyzing the data, which of the materials you tested was the
lightest? What evidence or data support this observation? Why is weight
important?

2. Which material was the most rigid or bent or deformed the least? What
results, or data, support this observation? Why is rigidity important?

3. Of the materials tested which one had the best combination of being both
light and rigid? Which one of these qualities do you think is more
important in the design of this particular brace? Explain your answer.

4. Based on the data you and your group collected, which materials and
structures are the best candidates to use for a wing brace? Give specific
reasons to support the conclusion you will present to the Raptor Rescue
Group.

5. Evaluate The tests in this investigation evaluated the strength and the
mass of segments of different materials. What other factors can you think
of that might need to be considered in engineering a thorough solution to
the wing-brace problem?