Qualification Testing

In order to show that our sawhorse could perform in a real world application to the level expected, several tests were conducted. These were a visual inspection of the final product, a environmental exposure test, a stability test, and a compression test of the entire assembly. The front and back of one half of the final sawhorse can be seen below with a summary of the visual inspection that was done. 

The environmental exposure test was conducted on 8 specimens, 4 left in ambient conditions, and 4 put through 168 hours of accelerated exposure aging. After the aging the samples a 3 point bend test was conducted to record displacement and compare the ultimate strength. Although the testing pars did not meet the requirements for displacement the exposed specimens showed good strength retention. Graphs of the raw data from these tests can be seen below. 

For the stability test, it was required that sawhorse be able to stand upright on an incline exceeding 15 deg. From our test we found that it can be employed at angles of up to 23 deg. 

The final test for our product was a compressional test of the entire apparatus. because a set of sawhorses would be requred to hold up to 700 lb, the single horse was required to hold 350 lb. In the test the single sawhorse was weighted to over 500 lb without any signs of failure.