Monday, May 27, 2013

Rubber science: Slingshot fridge

As shown earlier, rubber stores energy thermally. If you stretch a rubber band, it gets warm. If you relax it again, it gets cold.

This video uses a specifically designed contraption that uses this effect to cool a can of beer with nothing more than muscle power and rubber. In fact this may be the first rubber based artificial cooling device ever. Wikipedia is by now in need of an update!

The video clearly shows how an (empty) beer can is cooled down by 2 degrees centigrade in an instant. This is the proof of concept - the rest is design optimzation.

Of course the contraption doubles as a mini trebuchet - after all, this IS The Slingshot Channel :)


1 comment:

  1. I still don't understand how it works..

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