I recently built an air powered bike, because why not? Well maybe the energy density of compressed air storage is slightly less practical than expected, but that’s why I put it to the test!
source/image(PrtSc): Tom Stanton
The engine itself is relatively simple and low cost. It’s a rotary valve that turns the pneumatic cylinder.The air is stored in a large tank connected to the engine via plastic tubes. Watch the video from Tom Stanton for more info also you can watch the building process of the bike:
Pneumatic cylinder(s) (sometimes known as air cylinders) are mechanical devices which use the power of compressed gas to produce a force in a reciprocating linear motion.Like hydraulic cylinders, something forces a piston to move in the desired direction.
Advertisement
The piston is a disc or cylinder, and the piston rod transfers the force it develops to the object to be moved.Strapping a giant compressed air reservoir to a bicycle may work in the prototyping stages,a better idea would be to design and engineer a bike frame that stores compressed air.
