PROJECT
Sound Wave Extinguisher
By
Kaushik Nath-PHI15010
Bitupon Saikia-PHI15016
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to Mrinmoy Gohain, course instructor,
PI297 for providing us the opportunity to carry out this
project.
We are also thankful to Dr. Pabitra Nath & Arnab Jyoti
Das (CIB13043) for their kind guidance and support for
completing the project.
It would not have been possible to gather knowledge
without the guidance of Dr. Pabitra Nath and Mrinmoy
Gohain. We would like to take the opportunity to
express our profound gratitude to them for sharing their
pearls of wisdom.
The project gave us the exposure to the wide
applications of Physics and we are obliged to each and
every one that we came across.
Contents:
1.Introduction
2.Components Used
3.Basic Principle
4.Why at lower frequencies from 30 to 60 hertz the
sound waves were able to snuffed out fir effectively?
5.Advantages
6.Disadvantages
7.References
Introduction:
Sound Wave extinguisher is a new type of extinguisher
that uses sound waves to put out fires.
It consists of an amplifier and collimator (to focus the
sound). The waves separate the oxygen in the fire from
the fuel. The pressure wave is going back and forth, and
that agitates where the air is. That space is enough to
keep the fire from reigniting
Components Used:
1. 20-watt subwoofer
2. Amplifier
3. Adapter
4. Collimator (which made out of a small
tin with a hole at the ends)
Basic Principle:
cylindrical
The principle behind the extinguisher is that as the
sound waves are mechanical pressure waves that cause
vibrations in the medium in which they travel so the
sound waves have the potential to manipulate both
burning material and the oxygen that surrounds it.
Here the sound is used to separate both burning material
and the oxygen and so the fire would be starved of
oxygen and,
accordingly
be
snuffed
out.
At
higher frequency sound caused the flames to vibrate but
at lower frequencies from 30 to 60 hertz (i.e. bass
frequencies) the waves were able to effectively keep the
oxygen away from the flames long enough to suffocate
them.
Why at lower frequencies from
30 to 60 hertz the sound waves
were able to snuffed out fire
effectively?
Theory 1:
Do low frequencies carry farther than
high frequencies?
Acoustic attenuation is a measure of the energy loss of
sound propagation in media. Most media have viscosity,
and are therefore not ideal media. When sound
propagates in such media, there is always thermal
consumption of energy caused by viscosity. Sound is a
pressure wave vibration of molecules. Whenever we
give molecules a "push" we are going to lose some
energy to heat. Because of this, sound is lost to heating
of the medium it is propagating through. most materials.
-the angular frequency,
P
-the pressure,
-the wave propagation distance,
-the attenuation coefficient
and frequency dependent exponent
are real non-negative material parameters obtained by
fitting experimental data and the value of ranges from 0
to 2.
Here is a graph of the attenuation of sound at difference
frequencies.
As we can see, low frequencies are not absorbed as
well. This means low frequencies will travel farther.
Theory 2:
At a range 30Hz-60Hz which may be the natural
frequency of the air molecules and so if the frequency
of the periodic vibration present in the soundwave, then
air molecules start vibrating with large amplitude and
hence get displaced from the surroundings of the flame
and so the flame snuffed out.
Advantages:
1. With water, powder, foam and chemicals putting out
a blaze usually leaves behind a big mess and chemical
residue in every cranny, or gushing water that ruins
what flames failed to devour. Sound waves are much
cleaner.
2.It can be utilized by astronauts to extinguish fires on
space stations.
3.It doesnt require any chemicals or water, which is
one of the main advantages of this technology, and thus
provides a much simpler and cleaner way to fight fires
Disadvantages:
1. This device was able to extinguish small, controlled
fires. The main problem is that the sound waves do not
cool the fuel, which makes it difficult to use the device
on big fires.
2. The dousing of flames is only applicable at fixed
frequency.
References:
1.https://www.reference.com/science/amplitudeloudness-related-f3bec4a929ef956d#full-answer
2.http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/87751/do
-low-frequency-sounds-really-carry-longer-distances
3.https://www.dogonews.com/2015/4/21/engineeringstudents-use-sound-waves-to-extinguish-fires
