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Build a functional jet engine out of empty beer cans and an old hair dryer. Minimal tools required.
I had always wanted to make a jet engine, then, one day i realised i had the parts available to do it. So, I did!
It was made out ofSTEEL beer cans, copper hydraulics tubing and an old hair dryer.
It producted measurable thrust which was only briefly tested on a rig that utilised model train tracks and 4 boggies.
More information is on my website at: http://letsbuildone.110mb.com/
I have a video of various tests in the development process and it in action on my website and below:
Url:http://www.revver.com/video/1142038/beer-can-jet-engine/
I Appologise for the poor quality pictures that were taken on my old phone and unfortunatly the engine has been ravaged for parts by my brother so i cannot take new photos but, i am planning to rebuild it soon and i will take plenty of new photos when i do.
Build a functional jet engine out of empty beer cans and an old hair dryer. Minimal tools required.
I had always wanted to make a jet engine, then, one day i realised i had the parts available to do it. So, I did!
It was made out ofSTEEL beer cans, copper hydraulics tubing and an old hair dryer.
It producted measurable thrust which was only briefly tested on a rig that utilised model train tracks and 4 boggies.
More information is on my website at: http://letsbuildone.110mb.com/
I have a video of various tests in the development process and it in action on my website and below:
Url:http://www.revver.com/video/1142038/beer-can-jet-engine/
I Appologise for the poor quality pictures that were taken on my old phone and unfortunatly the engine has been ravaged for parts by my brother so i cannot take new photos but, i am planning to rebuild it soon and i will take plenty of new photos when i do.
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Signing UpStep 1Gather the materials and tools you will need
I had wanted to do this for a long time then one day I noticed I had the part available to make a crude Afterburning Ducted Fan (aka Motorjet or Thermofan) engine from a coke can, an old hairdryer and some copper pipe I had lying around. This is not the instructions on how to make that but rather the instructions on how to make the refined version that I completed in college before I went to university.
Mark II is currently under construction and should be completed shortly with a full write up and videos.
Materials Required:
@ At least 4 Steel cans, specifically the taller ones and bigger ones are better.
@ Copper or steel thin tubing, hydraulics tubing from a scrap car will do.
@ Some flexible plastic fuel hosing long enough for you to be comfortably far enough from a running miniature jet engine, 1m did me, I got some from my local model shop used for nitro cars.
@ An old hair dryer or other air moving device, leaf blower could work, or a ducted fan/propeller.
@ A variable resistor or potentiometer, I used a scalectrics controller then upgraded to a dimmer switch of a Light after the scalectrics controller started smoking.
@ A length of wire as long as your rubber hosing at least, two wires needed to power electric motor for your fan.
@ Really small drill bits and a drill, 1mm or less for fuel nozzles.
@ Tape, adhesives and solder would be helpful.
@ Insulation tape
Tools Required:
@ Sand Paper
@ Soldering Iron possibly
@ Possibly a screw driver
@ Drill
@ Sharp knife
@ Scissors
@ Pliers
@ Relevant Safety equipment, gloves, goggles, fire extinguisher and COMMON SENSE.
Mark II is currently under construction and should be completed shortly with a full write up and videos.
Materials Required:
@ At least 4 Steel cans, specifically the taller ones and bigger ones are better.
@ Copper or steel thin tubing, hydraulics tubing from a scrap car will do.
@ Some flexible plastic fuel hosing long enough for you to be comfortably far enough from a running miniature jet engine, 1m did me, I got some from my local model shop used for nitro cars.
@ An old hair dryer or other air moving device, leaf blower could work, or a ducted fan/propeller.
@ A variable resistor or potentiometer, I used a scalectrics controller then upgraded to a dimmer switch of a Light after the scalectrics controller started smoking.
@ A length of wire as long as your rubber hosing at least, two wires needed to power electric motor for your fan.
@ Really small drill bits and a drill, 1mm or less for fuel nozzles.
@ Tape, adhesives and solder would be helpful.
@ Insulation tape
Tools Required:
@ Sand Paper
@ Soldering Iron possibly
@ Possibly a screw driver
@ Drill
@ Sharp knife
@ Scissors
@ Pliers
@ Relevant Safety equipment, gloves, goggles, fire extinguisher and COMMON SENSE.
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It looks like you either aren't putting enough fuel in or the fuel ring isn't spraying evenly, to solve this you can try drilling more holes in the fuel ring or add turbulators to the part of the engine the air and fuel mixes to help them mix better.
Keep me updated!
LBO
& here r some pics of my next jet the "turbojet"
here's my improved design
As for the ignition, the standard solution is a spark plug that screws into a boss welded onto the side of your combustion chamber, you would need a coil pack and a decent 12V source like a lead acid to run it though. Another option is to use the spark of a disposable lighter, extend the wire into the can and set the wall gap right. You could also use two bolts that are screwed in from opposite sides of the combustion camber with a small gap between them and discharge a camera flash circuit through them to give a nice beastly spark.
To be honest an Electric ducted fan is probably cheaper and more effective than a hair drier if your going to buy one. They can be picked up for around £15-20 new. You could try ebay, markets, car boots and similar to find a cheap one. I recently bought a Nitro boat with all radio gear and all accessories for £40 from a market. A similar EDF plane should be much cheaper.
i also have a old insect slayer would it give out some beasty sparks for ignitor
We don't have a big problem with insects in England so I have never come across an "insect slayer" before and as such couldn't comment. Give it a go if it'll cost you nothing though because then at least you can tell the rest of us whether it'll work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvDZok-zdM
If you really want to build one like that then you probably want to look at building a step up buck-boost converter using a transistor with a secondary output from your transformer coil to trigger it. It's a lot more work and probably won't do the job any better though.
If you want a beastlier spark than the flash circuit gives add two or three AA batteries on your camera flash circuit. This will step your voltage up from just under 400v to over 1000v. Your flash cap will probably die though as they're only rated to 330v so you'll want to take that out or, if your feeling lucky, put another cap in series with the original one for each of the extra battery you use to split the voltage.
Be careful when messing with these high voltage circuits as they give a nasty shock and CAN KILL if you get shocked across your heart. Wear some rubber gloves and insulate everything before you connect the power source. This isn't worth dying over some simple safety precautions.
& here r some pics of my next jet the "turbojet"
so i've used empty deodorant cans instead n some small steel cans
and for air flow system i've used a simple 12volt dc motor with a fan but there is one problem, i cannot get much speed from this motor. can u help me out with this? and ha the motor is taken out from a toy car!!!
for fuel i used another deodorant but it was almost empty!
so when i ran the engine so it lasted for only 10sec now i will try other alternative fuel ( maybe using acetone )
hope you would feel happy
Empty deodorant can's are a perfect replacement. If you overvolt the 12v motor you will get more speed from it as the rpm is proportional to the input voltage. It is usually safe to over volt by 50% so 18v would be a good place to start. I have however overvolted a 12v motor to 48v previously to no ill effects so it's down to how brave your feeling as to how much extra. Be careful though, the higher voltage you put in the faster it will get hot and the hotter it will get, if you put too much voltage through it for too long you will cook the engine and it will no longer work.
Deodorant would be a good fuel source, they usually use propane or butane as a propellant so it is as good as using a can of butane or propane. They even come with a decent atomising nosel on the can! The downside is they are low capacity and you have to press the button up close to the intake of the engine which is dangerous and makes RC control difficult. Acetone would be a good alternative fuel. You just have to pre-heat it before it gets into the combustion chamber and use an atomising nosel to disperse it into a fine spray so it will burn efficiently. This will require a pressurised fuel system you'll have to work out by yourself.
Thanks for building one! Please can you send me some pictures or a video?
All the best
LBO
I found that Mine distorted less when I wrapped a second can around the first. The Videos for my mark II Engine aren't uploaded yet but when they are you will see my augmenting nozzle and how it acts as a heat spreader for the combustion chamber. Maybe adding some kind of heat sink is something to consider.
As for your question on bearings, yes. A normal ball bearing ring race would seize at the exhaust temperature so you have three options;
First use ceramic bearings that can withstand a higher temperature but you need to make sure they can hold up at several thousand and potentially tens of thousands of rpm and they are expensive and relatively difficult to get hold of in the size you want.
Secondly shield your exhaust bearing in a jacket. Essentially having a 1/2" tube down the center of your engine that the bearings sit inside of, maybe with some cold airflow from the compressor blowing down it.
Your third option is to use two or three bearings before the combustion chamber and leave the exhaust with no bearing. This relies on the stiffness of your central axle to hold the exhaust turbines blades central with a restraining ring as a safety. This is my plan and by far my favorite of the three options.
Good luck and keep me updated,
LBO