The students developed a prototype device that puts out fire with sound waves

Two students of the faculty of engineering of George Mason University, using the ability of sound waves to extinguish fire, has recently created a prototype of a fire extinguisher, which works without water and chemicals. Students hope that the new device will help revolutionize the methods and equipment for fighting fires, both domestic and forest.

Previous studies conducted by scientists of other institutions, including DARPA, a few years ago showed that sound waves can contain the spread of fire. However, to date there has been built a single prototype of a fire extinguisher, which generates sound waves for repayment of fire.

In the development of the prototype fire extinguisher students from the University of George. Mason started from the simple idea that sound waves have the same nature as the waves surge – and those others perform reciprocating motion in the environment. And if the sound waves will be able to block oxygen from the burning object, the fire will extinguish itself. Students only need to determine the appropriate treatment sound frequencies, and they did the traditional method of trial and error, using a generator of sound waves and directing it to a small burning object.

The experimental results showed that sound waves in the ultrahigh frequency range practically does not affect the reduction of fire. Gradually decreasing frequency, students identified the most optimal for fighting a fire frequency of sound waves – from 30 to 60 Hz.

Inspired by the results of their research, the students built a fire extinguisher that consists of amplifier, power source and a collimator made from a cardboard tube (to focus the wave), and successfully used it to extinguish a small fire. According to the inventors, this prototype is quite suitable for containment of small fires in the kitchen, but if you improve, then it can have a wider use, including in the fight against forest fires of varying complexity.published



 

 

Source: www.ozemle.net