LEGO blocks may be tiny, but they are definitely mighty—just ask anyone who has ever stepped on one. Since humans seem to be no match for a single block or a dozen, the team at Hydraulic Press Channel appears to have found a worthier competitor in their heavy machinery. To measure the strength of LEGOs, they built a slab of 10,000 blocks and tested it against their 300-ton hydraulic press.
Made of a sturdy plastic known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a regular LEGO brick can take on more than 4,240 newtons of force before it crushes. In other words, a single brick can support weights of nearly 1,000 pounds before breaking. Just sticking to LEGOS, putting that kind of weight onto a single piece would mean stacking 375,000 blocks on top of it. But that doesn't account for the thrill of seeing a hydraulic press do its job.
“Can LEGO bricks survive the ultimate test of strength?” writes the Hydraulic Press Channel team. “Will they hold up or be crushed into oblivion?” As visually alluring as their other experiments are, there is something else to the match between the bricks and the hydraulic press—could it be the myriad of colors amongst the gray machinery or the fact that the blocks can give the press a run for its money? For it to be a fair fight, Hydraulic Press Channel builds a slab that is the same size as the plate.
The team gives it a first go with a smaller pile of blocks, but isn't totally pleased with the results. Then comes the real match. Unlike many objects that succumb mercilessly to the press, the LEGO block slab slowly gives away but never completely. Surely, many pieces are spared as they are ejected from the main cube due to the sheer force (with one even violently hitting the camera), while others are deformed and are likely stuck for good. If anything, they make for an interesting plastic mat—one where your feet would probably be safer, but still, a rebel block could break away and ruin your day.
You can watch the full experiment below and check out Hydraulic Press Channel on YouTube for more hypnotic crushing videos.
Watch what happens when a slab of 10,000 LEGO blocks is crushed by a 300-ton hydraulic press.
Source: Can 10,000 Lego Bricks Stop a 300-Ton Hydraulic Press?
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