An exciting demonstration of gears, pulleys, and smart materials Interesting and fun. A demonstration of MuscleWire® Nitinol wire,Shape Memory Alloy.
A way to solve a big problem for the world- it's a way to extract clean energy from small temperature differences. Simple and easy to use.
Why is the Smart heat engine important?
First, it's interesting and informative. When your students understand how this works, they understand the concepts behind gears, and pulleys, and bearings and friction. Most of all, how smart materials can be included within their designs (MuscleWire® Nitinol wire, Shape Memory Alloy). Second, it's fun to watch. Your students can discuss how the heat engine works and the benefits of using this clean energy on the environment.
Over 100 RPM and all you need to operate, is some hot water and some cold water!
NO MOTORS NO PETROL NO ELECTRICITY
It demonstrates a technology that's not quite here today, but will be here tomorrow. Imagine thousands of these, bigger, out in the desert or floating in the ocean, or even on your roof at home pumping out clean cheap electricity. We can't do it today. But we and many others are working on it! You see it today, and you may well depend on it tomorrow.
How the Smart Heat Engine Works
1) The coiled spring is made from Muscle Wire®. When cold it is soft and flexible. When heated it becomes shorter, stiffer, and stronger. 2) In this heat engine part of the Muscle Wire is put in hot water and part in cold. In the hot water it shrinks, pulling on the two upper pulleys evenly. (The lower pulley ensures that the left and right side forces are equal.) 3) Because the lower (left in this picture) pulley has a mechanical advantage, it overcomes the upper pulley and turns toward the hot side. 4) This movement of the pulleys pulls more wire over the lower pulley into the hot water, repeating the process. 5) On the cold side the wire stretches out longer, allowing the lower pulley to make more revolutions as required by the gear differences.
SMART HEAT ENGINE £45.00 School Code SHE
Product info:
Smart heat engine with muscle wire spring coil. 1 red container 1 blue container Instructions
• An exciting demonstration of smart materials • Interesting and fun • A demonstration of Musclewire® Shape Memory Alloy • Relevant- it's a way to extract clean energy from low-grade heat
