Start your engines
First-year students in RRC's Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program showed off their latest projects during the 10th Annual Stirling Engine Run-off event on April 16, 2010.
On display were student-built Stirling engines running on nothing but warm air and ice. Stirling engines work by converting energy from heat into mechanical work and were invented in the early 1800s as a rival to the steam engine.
The first-year MET students built their own miniature Stirling engines from scratch. First, they used CAD software to design their engines and then they took the designs into the shop to manufacture them. Every piece of the engine, except for the screws, was manufactured by the MET students.
The first-year MET students built their own miniature Stirling engines from scratch. First, they used CAD software to design their engines and then they took the designs into the shop to manufacture them. Every piece of the engine, except for the screws, was manufactured by the MET students.