SMMARTideas

SMMART SCIENCE: EGG DROP and MONSTER TRUCK FRAMES

Engineering is the key to a successful egg drop.  I have always wanted to participate in an egg drop contest...and decided to hold a family event. 

The structure of the egg drop container reminded me of the similarities between the Monster Truck Jam vehicles.  (Just attended my first event...free tickets!)  Those trucks cradle their drivers and attempt to protect them from impact and danger.

Hold a fun Egg Drop Contest of your own with your family!

Gather boxes, string, styrofoam, pantyhose, egg cartons and whatever else you can imagine to create your very own Egg Drop protection frame.

First you may wish to decorate your little egg and name him or her...complete with yarn hair?

Now create a protective frame for your egg pet.  Perhaps your frame can even have a theme too!

Take your pet eggs outside and drop them from the deck or from somewhere high, one at a time.  After all of the eggs have been launched and crashed to the ground, see which egg frame was the most successful at protecting your egg pets.  This might be a great opportunity to discuss the importance of wearing seatbelts in the car and safety equipment while riding bikes and scooters!

Here are a few Monster Jam truck facts:
Today’s monster trucks use lightweight bodies and tires so more strength and weight can be put into the frame without sacrificing speed, maneuverability, or safety.


1. Body – Made of fiberglass, a monster truck body is custom designed to create a character or theme for the truck. Custom body trucks can be carved by hand out of Styrofoam and wood to create a “plug” which is then used to create a fiberglass body mold or created by computers.

2. Driver Seat – Most monster trucks have the driver seated in the center of the vehicle so he or she can best see the track for weight distribution. The seats are custom molded to each driver’s body and all drivers use head and neck restraint devices to keep their heads secure during rough landings. As a safety measure, all seatbelts employ a 5 point harness to restrain the driver’s body.

3. Paint – Most Monster Jam® monster trucks feature highly designed, customized airbrushed artwork on their bodies. Airbushing is expensive and time consuming as some trucks require more than 40 hours of paint time. Monster Jam body fabricators are always assured lots of work though, as their custom creations are routinely destroyed during the shows.
4. Engines – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster truck engine burns up to 10 liters of methanol per run (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about 1,500 horsepower.

5. Suspension System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing impacts of jumping and crashing a monster truck during a performance, each Monster Jam monster truck is equipped with specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil and nitrogen gas that are installed with each tire.

6. Tires – Each monster truck tire is custom made. They must be 66 inches high and 43 inches wide. The average monster truck team will go through 8 tires in one year. Tires are designed differently to satisfy various track conditions and driver preference. Carving just one tire requires over 50 hours of exacting labor.