Chemistry

Materials, Trash & Recycling

Aluminum is first a conductor because of its metallic bonding. The metallic bonding allows for the free-flow of electron witch can be given a current (a direction for the electrons to go). This allows for some really cool stuff, but before this, I want to talk about the structure of the bonds. This is because aluminum’s bonds structure is crystalline so although it is a metal it is not attracted to a simple stationary magnet. However, if a magnetic field moves over a metal that is or similar too aluminum it creates what is known as eddy current.

Aluminum should be the recycling campaign boy, It is a great reusable efficient material that is very efficient to acquire. To start off Aluminum is very easy to recycle partly because it doesn’t have to be completely clean like polymers, but it can be recycled multiple times over and over if it is properly done.

What else did you learn through this project? You can reference:

Learned the complexities of magnetics
How to create an eddy current and how it is created
Insights into aluminum and how it is recycled in commercial plants
How the bonds make it selectivity magnetic

I believe that I deserve a B on this project. I completed a lot of research about eddy currents and how to build them. Through the difficulty of having a partner on a different pod from me, I was still able to work well and communicate with him in the latter part of the project after some initial confusion. It was a very information-heavy but a fun exhibition.