A Stirling engine is an engine that can run on heat. In this case, the heat source is absolutely not important. The main thing is that there is a temperature difference, in which case this engine will work. The author came up with how to make model such an engine from a can of Coca-Cola.
Materials and Tools
- one balloon;
- 3 cans of cola;
- electrical terminals, five pieces (5A);
- nipples for fastening bicycle spokes (2 pieces);
- metal wool;
- a piece of steel wire with a length of 30 cm and a cross section of 1 mm;
- a piece of thick steel or copper wire with a diameter of 1.6 to 2 mm;
- a pin made of wood with a diameter of 20 mm (length 1 cm);
- bottle cap (plastic);
- electrical wiring (30 cm);
- Super glue;
- vulcanized rubber (about 2 square centimeters);
- fishing line (length about 30 cm);
- a pair of sinkers for balancing (for example, nickel);
- CDs (3 pieces);
- stationery buttons;
- Another can for the manufacture of firebox;
- heat-resistant silicone and a tin can to create water cooling.
Step one. Can preparation
First of all, you need to take two cans and cut off the tops from them. If the tops are cut with scissors, the resulting notches will need to be ground with a file.
Next, cut the bottom of the can. This can be done with a knife.
Step Two Aperture
The author used a balloon as a diaphragm, which was reinforced with vulcanized rubber. The ball must be cut and pulled onto the jar, as indicated in the picture. Then a piece of vulcanized rubber is glued to the center of the diaphragm. After the glue hardens in the center of the diaphragm, a hole for installing the wire is punched. The easiest way to do this is with a pushpin, which can be left in the hole until assembly.
Step Three Cutting and making holes in the lid
In the walls of the cover you need to drill two holes of 2 mm, they are needed to install the rotary axis of the levers. Another hole needs to be drilled in the bottom of the cover, a wire will pass through it, which will be connected with the displacer.
At the final stage, the lid must be cut off as indicated in the picture. This is done so that the displacer wire does not cling to the edges of the lid. Household scissors are suitable for such work.
Step Four Drill
In the bank you need to drill two holes for the bearings.In this case, this was done with a 3.5 mm drill.
Step Five Create a viewing window
In the engine housing, an inspection window must be cut out. Now it will be possible to observe how all the nodes of the device function.
Step Six Finalization of terminals
It is necessary to take the terminals and remove the plastic insulation from them. Then a drill is taken, and through holes are made at the edges of the terminals. In total, you need to drill 3 terminals, while two should remain un drilled.
Seventh step. Leverage
As a material for creating levers, copper wire is used, the diameter of which is 1.88 mm. How exactly to bend the knitting needles is shown in the pictures. You can use steel wire, it's just more pleasant to work with copper.
Step Eight. Making bearings
To make bearings you will need two bicycle nipples. The diameter of the holes must be checked. The author drilled them through with a 2 mm drill.
Step Nine. Installation of levers and bearings
The levers can be installed directly through the viewing window. One end of the wire should be long; the flywheel will be on it. Bearings should fit tightly. If there is play, they can be glued.
Step Ten Create a displacer
The displacer is made of steel wool for polishing. To create a displacer, a steel wire is taken, a hook is made on it, and then the amount of cotton wool is wound on the wire. The displacer must be so large that it moves freely in the bank. The total height of the displacer should not be more than 5 cm.
As a result, it is necessary to form a spiral of wire on one side of the cotton so that it does not come out of the cotton, and on the other side of the wire a loop is made. Next, a fishing line is attached to this loop, which subsequently stretches through the center of the diaphragm. Vulcanized rubber should be in the middle of the container.
Step 11. Creating a pressure tank
It is necessary to cut the bottom of the can so that approximately 2.5 cm is left from its base. The displacer along with the diaphragm must be placed in the tank. After that, all this mechanism is installed at the end of the can. The diaphragm needs to be pulled a little so that it does not sag.
Then you need to take a terminal that has not been drilled and stretch a fishing line through it. The knot must be glued so that it does not move. The wire must be well lubricated with oil and at the same time make sure that the displacer easily pulls the fishing line
Step 12. Creating Push Rods
Push rods connect the diaphragm and levers. This is done with a piece of copper wire 15 cm long.
Step 13. Creating and installing the flywheel
To create a flywheel, 3 old CDs are used. A wooden core is used as the central part. After installing the flywheel, the crankshaft shaft bends, so the flywheel will not fall off.
At the final stage, the whole mechanism is assembled together.
Step 14. Creating a firebox
To create a furnace, a can is used. It is necessary to cut a viewing window in it, through which a candle will be placed and set on fire. To smooth sharp edges, the author came up with an edging for the arch from the electric cable.
After that, you can start testing the engine. It is placed on the furnace, and a candle is lit in the furnace. If everything is assembled correctly, the flywheel will begin to rotate. If the engine does not work, you should not be upset, you need to look for a problem. Firstly, you need to lubricate everything well. And secondly, you need to see if everything is tight.
To increase the efficiency of the engine, you can add a casing of water cooling.
