What are the life expectancies of Stirling Engines.
[tab=20]Im sure it depends on the style and materials used to a degree however in these home made engines we build without machining and lets say heated by an alcohol wick burner what would be the time one would work before breaking down.
[tab=20]Also what items might be the first to go?
Life expectancy of Stirling Engines
Life expectancy of Stirling Engines
What we need is a More Heat or More cold, and Less Friction or Better Air Seals ...and an Aspirin!
Sripto Vu-Lighter Historian http://www.thehawkeco.com
Sripto Vu-Lighter Historian http://www.thehawkeco.com
-
fullofhotair
- Posts: 265
- Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:28 am
Re: Life expectancy of Stirling Engines
Hawke'
If you use a diaphragm, it will be be the first thing to go. Rubber gloves or balloons just cant take that much flexing. A good option is a bicycle inner tube, but that presents new problems. You cant just fold the inner tube over the displacer cylinder and secure it. It also has to be heat treated. You take something small and convexed ,like an upside down small bowl and put the inner on top. Then blast it with a heat gun or something similar till it takes the convexed shape.
If your using a pop can for the displacer cylinder, the heat will fatigue the thin aluminum and it will be the next thing to blow out. If your using a tin can instead ,the soldier will also fail. The best option is to find a stainless steel drinking bottle, that will hold up.
Put a lot of time into getting the right bends for the crankshaft. Anything other than almost perfect is bad vibrations. Use bearings or at the very least good bushings. These homemade engines are never going to be something you can start up and leave unattended like say one of Ian SC engines.
If you use a diaphragm, it will be be the first thing to go. Rubber gloves or balloons just cant take that much flexing. A good option is a bicycle inner tube, but that presents new problems. You cant just fold the inner tube over the displacer cylinder and secure it. It also has to be heat treated. You take something small and convexed ,like an upside down small bowl and put the inner on top. Then blast it with a heat gun or something similar till it takes the convexed shape.
If your using a pop can for the displacer cylinder, the heat will fatigue the thin aluminum and it will be the next thing to blow out. If your using a tin can instead ,the soldier will also fail. The best option is to find a stainless steel drinking bottle, that will hold up.
Put a lot of time into getting the right bends for the crankshaft. Anything other than almost perfect is bad vibrations. Use bearings or at the very least good bushings. These homemade engines are never going to be something you can start up and leave unattended like say one of Ian SC engines.
Re: Life expectancy of Stirling Engines
You too can build one of these machine built engines, a mini lathe is what you need for now, if you really get into model engineering, you might trade up to a bigger lathe, but if you look up the net you will see marvellous things made on these little machines. Sure, unless you have done Metal Shop at school, or work in an engineering shop, you'll have to teach your self, just as I did. In my gallery, the motor shown as my 2nd motor has probably done near 3000hrs running, I had to rebuild the crank shaft at 2000hrs, as the big end bearing had .030" of wear. As it is now, it should be about another 3000 to 4000hrs before the next overhaul. It has never failed me, and the metal for the new con rod, and the crankshaft were cut using the little power hacksaw that's attached to another motor in the gallery, but powered by the motor being overhauled, so it helped to rebuild its self. Ian S C