A simple steam engine made from cans was launched a few days ago. Although it has no practical use, it is very similar in principle and design to the earliest steam engine in the world-it is often called a steam ball, or a Hiro engine. After I posted this article, I actually made this small steam device. I would like to give you some thoughts today.

to make this device, you first need an unopened can of beverage. I use soda here. You may find that whenever you use cans, I always use soda water. I basically don't drink sugary drinks. But for this experiment, I do recommend canned soda water, because sugary drinks become sticky and difficult to clean up when sprayed everywhere.

first use a pin to make a small hole in the side of the tank. My feeling is that aluminum cans are actually thinner than people think, and it's actually quite easy to punch holes with pins. I started with a relatively short pin (as shown on the left), but this is not convenient for the next step in the direction of the hole, so I still change the growing pin (as on the right).

after piercing a small hole, the drink will come out of the hole, so just find a cup and pick it up. For carbonated drinks, put the hole down and shake the jar from time to time, so that most of the drinks can be sprayed out of the hole. After all, the can is in a state of high pressure. After the drink is basically sprayed, you can use a pin to open the second hole directly opposite the small hole you started. If you want to empty the drink completely in the can, you can let one of the holes down and blow through the other hole above, but I think it's okay to leave the rest of the soda in the jar.

the following is to adjust the opening direction of the small hole, insert the long pin into the hole and break it to the end in one direction. The diagram of FlinnScientific is very clear:

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the next step is to inject some more water into the empty can. What I see is 20-30ml injection, but I don't know how much water I put in it. I just put the can lying in the water with a small hole facing down and let the water flow into the can by itself. However, because the hole made by the pin is very small, I feel that the water actually flows into it very little. It might be better to use a syringe.

the next step is to hang the can with a thread. In the middle of the original line, there is an anti-entanglement bearing ring used in the fishing line, which can be rotated with little resistance, so that the line will not become tighter and tighter. However, I don't have such a thing here. So I just use a long line to hang the cans, which will definitely be tightened in the end, but I can turn on _ (: alcohol "∠) _

for a while before twisting. I use alcohol lamp here, and Bunsen lamp is also a common choice. Although I have seen four tea waxes at the bottom of an experimental picture, the candle is not very easy to use and the fire is too small. When the water in the tank boils and the steam is ejected, it can drive the can to turn.

the final measured effect is as follows (there is no speed regulation here):

can still be turned up, although the steam mist emitted from the keyhole can not be seen as fast as the original _ (: steam "∠).

if you have any suggestions for improvement, you can also exchange ~