1

19

I. Objectives:
The main objective of this experiment is to apply laboratory techniques and analytical
measurements appropriate for the analysis and calculations of the mechanical properties and
chemistry of engineering materials.
At the end of the experiment, it is also expected to determine the flexural strength, to
observe the fracture surface and to solve for the flexural stress of the different types of
chocolate bars. It also aims to apply the general rules inside a laboratory during an
experiment.

II. Theoretical Discussion

A. Mechanical Properties of Materials
The mechanical properties of a material are those properties that involve a
reaction to an applied load. The mechanical properties of metals determine the range of
usefulness of a material and establish the service life that can be expected. Mechanical
properties are also used to help classify and identify material. The most common
properties considered are strength, ductility, hardness, impact resistance, and fracture
toughness.
In other words, the mechanical properties of a material affect how it behaves as it
is loaded. The elastic modulus of the material affects how much it deflects under a load,
and the strength of the material determines the stresses that it can withstand before it
fails. The ductility of a material also plays a significant role in determining when a
material will break as it is loaded beyond its elastic limit. Because every mechanical
system is subjected to loads during operation, it is important to understand how the
materials that make up those mechanical systems behave.
Three-point bending test is one of the most conventional ways to perform in order
to observe the mechanical properties of the chocolate bars. This test subjects the
sample to significant compressive stresses.
B. Stress

Going into specifics, stress is a measurement of force spread over area. One
way to think of stress is to imagine the different results that happen when a person
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19

stands on a trampoline and when a person lays down on a trampoline. A person

standing on a trampoline concentrates the force of his/her weight on a small area and
sinks down deeper into the trampoline compared to a person lying down on a
trampoline who spreads his/her force over a larger area, and thus does not sink down
as far. A person standing on a trampoline creates a larger stress on the trampoline than
a person lying down on it. Engineers describe stress mathematically with the equation:

1.5 Pl
σ=
w t2

where:
σ = stress
w = width of the bar (in meters)
t = thickness of the bar (in meters)
l = length of the bar (in meters)
P = load (mass) applied (in Newtons)
C. Mechanical Property of Chocolates (Strength)
People enjoy snappy chocolates. The way they break gives everyone a satisfying
feeling. But, where do these chocolates get this property?
Several experiments have been performed to test the strength of chocolates.
One is the study of Nedomova, Trnka, and Buchar (2013) on dark chocolates where
they found out that the amount of cocoa affects the tensile strength of the chocolate bar
– the more the cocoa particles, the greater the tensile strength of the chocolate bar.
In this particular experiment, the strengths of different chocolate bars were
tested. This would give light as to how the structure and composition of a chocolate bar
could affect its strength.
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III. Data and Results

1. How was each of the chocolate bars different from each other? Describe physical
characteristics of each chocolate bar below:
a. Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate)
The odor of this chocolate is stronger than the other bars. Also, the appearance
of this milk chocolate is less glossy than the Goya one.
The following are the dimensions of the chocolate bar:
 Length (l) = 135mm or 0.135m
 Width (w) = 55mm or 0.055m
 Thickness (t) = 5mm or 0.005m
b. Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch)
This chocolate bar is a milk chocolate with crisped rice. It also has a strong smell
and a non-glossy appearance.
The following are the dimensions of the chocolate bar:
 Length (l) = 88mm or 0.088m
 Width (w) = 55mm or 0.055m
 Thickness (t) = 6mm or 0.006m
c. Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate)
This chocolate bar does not have a strong smell. It is quite harder and snappier
than the Hershey’s milk chocolate.
The following are the dimensions of the chocolate bar:
 Length (l) = 80mm or 0.080m
 Width (w) = 37mm or 0.037m
 Thickness (t) = 9mm or 0.009m
d. Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s White Chocolate)
This bar has almost the same characteristics as the Goya’s milk chocolate except
for its color where this is white and the other was brown.
The following are the dimensions of the chocolate bar:
 Length (l) = 80mm or 0.080m
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 Width (w) = 33mm or 0.033m

 Thickness (t) = 8.8mm or 0.0088m
2. Which chocolate bar broke first? Describe why you think it broke first. How many coins
did it take to break the chocolate bar?
Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate) broke first. This can be due to its
thickness (it’s thinner compared to the other types of chocolate). Also, it is longer than
the other bars which makes it easier to break. It took 32 coins to break this chocolate
bar.
3. Which chocolate bar broke last? Describe why you think it broke last. How many coins
did it take to break the chocolate bar?
Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate) broke first. This can also be due to its
thickness (it’s thicker compared to the Nestle Crunch and Hershey’s milk chocolate).
Also, it is shorter than the other bars which makes it harder to break. It took 76 coins, a
nail cutter, a stapler, a small bottle with alcohol, 6 keys, and a bottle full of dishwashing
liquid to break this chocolate bar.
4. Determine the flexural strength of the chocolate bars from strongest to weakest.
N
 Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate) = 346,286.2863
m2
N
 Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch) = 301,382.6667
m2
N
 Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s White Chocolate) = 297,230.4658 2
m
N
 Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate) = 220,965.0545 2
m
5. By observing the chocolate bar as you added coins, were you able to predict when the
chocolate bar was about to break? Describe below why or why not.
For some of the chocolates, specifically the Hershey’s and Crunch, we knew that
they were near their limits when the bars were bent by the weight of the coins hanging
below them. After observing slight bend, the chocolate eventually broke after adding 5-8
coins. For the other chocolates, it became very unpredictable as it required a great
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amount of weight to break them. Prior to breaking, they did not bend at all. They
snapped right away.
6. Describe below what you think would happen in an experiment that used a chocolate
bar twice the thickness of the thickest chocolate bar used in this experiment.
The thicker the chocolate, the harder it is to break it. And so, using a chocolate
bar twice the thickness of the thickest one would require greater amount of weight which
means greater amount of coins.
7. What did the breaks in the chocolate bar look like? Do you think by examining the
chocolate bar after it broke that you could put it back together?
Generally, the breaks in the chocolate were not smooth. Rough edges were
formed along the breaks of the chocolate. The chocolate bar pieces can definitely be put
back together if the edges or the breakage parts were melted, fused, and cooled. But,
the original form of the bar will never be attained again.
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IV. Interpretation of Results and Discussion

This experiment aimed to determine the maximum stress that a particular chocolate bar
can resist with such amount of weight. Engineers and scientists also measure the maximum
stress a material can withstand to reveal certain mechanical properties of the material. With
this particular experiment, it is possible to experience how experts do it in a miniature way.
Basically, the procedure of the experiment is to put objects, primarily coins, inside a
plastic cup tied to the chocolate that is suspended approximately one foot high. All
observations in the experiment were listed in order to know specifically how particular the
process is.
The experiment began with the measurement of the dimensions of the different
chocolate bars. Also, other physical properties of the bars were observed and noted such as
the odor and color. Then, the three-point bend test was next where the limits of the strength of
the bars were tested.
After testing each chocolate bar, Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate) broke first.
Compared to other chocolates, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is the thinnest and the longest. By
this matter, it is expected that it would easily bend. Therefore, it would not withstand a great
amount of load. In fact, it took 153g of coins to break it.
Meanwhile Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate) broke last. It is the shortest yet the
thickest among all the chocolates. Because of this, the particles composing the chocolate are
much more compact and that is why it needed a greater amount of weight for it to break.
Specifically, it took 76 coins, a nail cutter, a stapler, an alcohol, a glue, a dishwashing liquid,
and 6 keys which is 882.5g to break the chocolate.
Flexural Strength of Chocolates in Relation to their Composition
To further understand what caused the differences among the strengths of the
chocolates, the flexural strength for each chocolate bar was obtained.
Using this formula:
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1.5 Pl
σ= 2
wt
where:
σ = is stress
w = is the width of the bar (in meters)
t = is the thickness of the bar (in meters)
l = is the length of the bar (in meters)
P = is the load (mass) applied (in Newtons),
it became possible to identify the flexural strength of each chocolate bar and arrange them
strongest to weakest. The results show this order from strongest to weakest chocolate bars:
Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate), Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch), Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s
White Chocolate), and Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate).

Though most chocolates used were Milk chocolates, their flexural strength still varied.
This can be due to the microstructures of the chocolate bars. Considering the Nestle Crunch,
its one among the four chocolates with a different component mixed to it – crisped rice. This
affected the strength of the chocolate bar as the bond between the chocolate and the airy
crisped rice is not that strong enough when compared to chocolate bars of pure composition.
Also, a noticeable difference also exists between the Hershey’s and Goya’s Milk chocolate.
Goya’s was far stronger than the Hershey’s. One of the factors that contributed to this variation
is the length and thickness of the two. It was aforementioned that the thicker chocolates with
lesser length and are harder to break than that of long and thin one. This can be explained by
the deflection of materials. In the case of a stick, the shorter it gets, the shorter is the deflection
– thus, it is harder to break.

Predictability of Breakage of the Chocolates

Talking about the predictability of breakage, some became predictable and some did
not. Specifically, we knew that Hershey’s and Crunch were near their limits when the bars were
bent by the load. Breaking happened after the slight bending of chocolate. On the other hand,
it became very unpredictable for the other two as it required a great amount of weight to break
and that they snapped right away without showing any signs of bending.
We can infer that the way these chocolates were processed can be the main reason on
their predictability of breakage. The Hershey’s and Crunch can be untempered since they are
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not glossy and snappy. For Goya, both were hard, snappy and glossier than the other two
which makes it look like it is tempered.
Breaks of the Chocolate Bars
After doing the experiment, the breaks of the chocolate are very noticeable as they were
not of the same patterns. This is can be due to the dimension and composition of each
chocolate. For the Crunch bar, the breaks were noticed to be on the parts near the crisped
rice. This can be explained by the ability of the chocolate to bond with the crisped rice. We can
say that the weak point of a chocolate is the area where additions like nuts, raisins, and
crisped rice meet the chocolate.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

A. Conclusion
Based from the results, it is concluded that the mechanical property of a
chocolate, specifically its strength, depend on the composition, dimensions, and the
manufacturing process it has undergone. The shorter, the thicker, and the more uniform
the composition of the chocolate is, the greater is its flexural strength and the harder it is
to break it.
B. Recommendations
In performing the experiment, it is recommended to use other types of chocolates
apart from the kinds used in this experiment to further understand the differences
between chocolate of different compositions and additives.
Also, it is recommended that the chocolates used in the experiment should not be
eaten for it might had contact with the laboratory surfaces which contain chemicals that
could contaminate the material. Another, always record the data gathered to get the
desirable information. Lastly, it is recommended to prepare a great amount of coins as
the chocolates can be very tough.
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VI. Appendices
A. List and Use of Apparatus
 Styrofoam cup and string – The Styrofoam cup with two holes in the rim opposite
each other were tied with a string in such a way that it can hang. It was used to contain
the coins and other materials used to test the strength of the chocolate bar.
 Coins – These were used to test the strength of the chocolate bar wherein they were
inside the cup, hanging below the chocolate bar and waiting for the bar to break as
more coins are added.
 Wooden blocks – - It is where the chocolates were placed before breaking them in
order to measure their strength.
 Triple Beam Balance – It was used to weigh the coins and materials used to break a
chocolate bar.
 Ruler – It was used to measure the dimensions of the chocolate.
 Cylindrical funnel made of rolled-up piece of paper – It is where the coins were
passed through before eventually dropping into the cup.
 4 different types of chocolates – Goya’s milk and white chocolate, Hershey’s milk
chocolate, and Nestle Crunch Bar were the chocolates used in this experiment. Their
flexural strength was tested in this experiment.

B. Definition of Terms
 Stress – It is the measure of how much force an object experiences per unit area.
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 Flexural or Bending stress – It is the normal stress that is induced at a point in a body
subjected to loads that cause it to bend.
 Mechanical properties – It defines the behavior of materials under the action of
external forces called loads. There are measures of strength and lasting characteristics
of the material in service and are of good importance in the design of tools.
 Three-point bend test – It is performed in order to observe the behavior of the
chocolates. These tests subject the sample to significant tensile and compressive
stresses in their plane in addition to shear stresses which vary from maximum at
the neutral axis to zero at the outermost surfaces.
C. Computations

Determining the flexural strengths of the chocolates

Formula:
1.5 Pl
σ=
w t2
where:
 σ = is stress
 w = is the width of the bar (in meters)
 t = is the thickness of the bar (in meters)
 l = is the length of the bar (in meters)
m
 P = is the load applied (in Newtons) = mass in kg × 9.8 2
s

1. Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate)

o w = 0.055m
o t = 0.005m
o l = 0.135m
m
o P = 0.1531kg × 9.8
s2
m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.1531kg × 9.8
s )
2
(0.135 m)
=¿
220,965.0545
N
m
2
2 2
wt 0.055 m( 0.005 m)

2. Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch)

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19

o w = 0.055m
o t = 0.006m
o l = 0.088m
m
o P = 0.4613kg × 9.8
s2
m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.4613 kg ×9.8
s )
2
(0.088 m)
=¿
301,382.6667
N
m2
2 2
wt 0.055 m(0.006 m)

3. Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate)

o w = 0.037m
o t = 0.009m
o l = 0.080m
m
o P = 0.8825kg × 9.8
s2
m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.8825 kg ×9.8
s
2 )
(0.080 m)
=¿
346,286.2863
N
m
2
2 2
wt 0.037 m(0.009 m)

4. Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s White Chocolate)

o w = 0.033m
o t = 0.0088m
o l = 0.080m
m
o P = 0.6459kg × 9.8
s2
m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.6459 kg ×9.8
s )
2
(0.080 m)
=¿
297,230.4658
N
m
2
2 2
wt 0.033 m (0.0088 m)

D. References
Kaneriya, A. (2019, March17). What is the actual meaning of bending stress?. Retrieved
from: https://www.quora.com/What-is-actual-meaning-of-bending-stresses
Lenard, J. (2014). Primer on a Flat Rolling. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/three-point-bending-test
Nedomova, S., Trnka, J., & Buchar, J. (2013, Decemper 31). Tensile Strength of Dark
12
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Chocolate. Retrieved from:

https://content.sciendo.com/configurable/contentpage/journals
Saif, R. (2018, April 9). List of Mechanical Properties That Every Mechanical Engg
Should Know. Retrieved from: https://www.theengineerspost.com/mechanical-
properties-of-materials/
Tikkanen, A. (2009, April 6). Balance measuring instruments. Retrieved from:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/balance-measuring-instrument
Woods, R. (2019, July 2). Stress and Strained. Retrieved from:
https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_mechanics_lesson07

E. Documentation

Preparing the materials:

-1 Styrofoam cup
-1 string
- 6 Blocks of wood
-Milk Chocolate (Goya)
-White Chocolate (Goya)
-Hershey’s
-Nestle Crunch

Measuring the length, width, and

height of the Chocolate
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Measuring the strength of Hershey’s

Milk Chocolate by hanging a cup and
putting coins into it until it breaks

The Hershey’s Chocolate broke with

a mass of 153.1g.

Measuring the strength of Nestle

Crunch
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19

It broke with the load of 461.3 grams.

Measuring the strength of Goya’s

White Chocolate

The Goya’s White Chocolate broke

with the load of 645.9g.
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Measuring the strength of Goya’s

Milk Chocolate

The Goya’s Milk Chocolate broke

with the load of 882.5g.

The Dark Chocolate Goya is the

strongest among all of the bars.
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19

The Goya’s White Chocolate is

slightly weaker than Goya’s Milk
Chocolate.

The Nestle Crunch is slightly stronger

than Goya’s White Chocolate.

The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is the

weakest among all of the chocolates.
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F. Answers to Questions
1. Calculate the load (P) at which each chocolate bar broke.
P is the load applied (in Newtons)
m
Formula: P = mass of the load in kg × g (which is equal to 9.8 ¿
s2
a. Chocolate Bar 1
m
P = 0.1531kg × 9.8 = 1.50038N
s2
b. Chocolate Bar 2
m
P = 0.4613kg × 9.8 2 = 4.52073N
s
c. Chocolate Bar 3
m
P = 0.8825kg × 9.8 2 = 8.6485N
s
d. Chocolate Bar 4
m
P = 0.6459kg × 9.8 = 6.32982N
s2
2. We determined the strength of the chocolate bars by finding each bar’s “breaking
point.” Stress is the calculation of this breaking point and is defined as force divided
by area. Calculate the stress at which each chocolate broke using the formula below.
1.5where:
Pl
σ= σ 2= is stress
wwt = is the width of the bar (in meters)
t = is the thickness of the bar (in meters)
l = is the length of the bar (in meters)
P = is the load applied (in Newtons)
a. Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate)
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σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.1531kg × 9.8
s)2
(0.135 m)
=¿
220,965.0545
N
m
2
2 2
wt 0.055 m( 0.005 m)

b. Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch)

m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.4613 kg ×9.8
s2)(0.088 m)
=¿
301,382.6667
N
m2
w t2 0.055 m(0.006 m)2

c. Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate)

m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.8825 kg ×9.8
s2)(0.080 m)
=¿
346,286.2863
N
m2
w t2 0.037 m(0.009 m)2

d. Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s White Chocolate)

m

σ=
1.5 Pl
=
(
1.5 0.6459 kg ×9.8
s )
2
(0.080 m)
=¿
297,230.4658
N
m
2
2 2
wt 0.033 m(0.0088 m)

3. Using the calculations in number 3, rank the different chocolates in order of their
flexural strength.
N
1. Choco Bar 3 (Goya’s Milk Chocolate) = 346,286.2863
m2
N
2. Choco Bar 2 (Nestlé Crunch) = 301,382.6667 2
m
N
3. Choco Bar 4 (Goya’s White Chocolate) = 297,230.4658
m2
N
4. Choco Bar 1 (Hershey’s Milk Chocolate) = 220,965.0545
m2
4. Why do the same types of chocolate fail with different number of coins in the cup?
Some of the chocolates might both be flavored as milk chocolate, but the
composition is not guaranteed to be the same for every brand. Different brands have
their own proportions of ingredients and this can be one of the reasons why same
types of chocolate do not necessarily have the same flexural strengths.
5. Why do different types of chocolate fail with different number of coins?
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Obviously, chocolates of different types and of different compositions would really

differ in terms of flexural strengths. The flexural strength of a chocolate can also be
affected by the additives or other substances mixed with the chocolate bar such as
crisped rice, raisins, nuts, and many more,
6. Would you expect the chocolate to fail at a lower or higher load if the grooves were
facing the other direction?
The chocolate would fail at a higher load if the grooves were facing the other
direction. If the grooves are parallel to the way the string is hu ng to the chocolate, it
would be easier for the chocolate to break since the g roove is a thinner part of it.
7. What would you expect if the cross-section was different? (i.e. the chocolate bar is
thicker)? Would you expect it to take more or less coins, and why?
If the cross section of the chocolate bar is different, the maximum weight it could.
carry will also change. In the case of having a thicker chocolate, of course, we would
expect the chocolate bar to take more coins. If it’s thinner, then it would take lesser
amount of coins. The thickness of the chocolate is also one of the factors that affect
its flexural strength.
8. The experiment was performed here in Saint Louis University, Baguio City. Would
you expect the same results if the experiment was done in Saint Louis College, San
Fernando City? Why or why not?
Considering the room temperature of San Fernando City, the results of the
experiment would really vary when compared to the results of the experiment done
in Baguio City. Since it is warmer at SLC, we would expect the chocolate to be quite
melty, thus, it would be very easy to break the chocolate using coins.