THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The next time you decide to walk for an errand on a hartal day, you could invest some serious thoughts on the project a group of students belonging to Muslim Association College of Engineering have come up with. An air-powered vehicle that needs no petrol and would invite no stones from the strike-callers.
The final year Mechanical students of the college - Anoop Krishnan A K, Abhilash Vijay, Alan, Afsal, Jershad, Shafeeq - have used GI pipe as the body of the vehicle. While the total weight of the vehicle is 18 kg, it has an additional tank fitted which is of 20 litres. Air is compressed in this tank at 1 N/mmsquare pressure. A pressure gauge has been attached to read it. A pneumatic valve will control the air that is compressed thus.
From the pneumatic valve, the air is passed to the rotary vane motor, gear box and wheel. If the cylinder’s capacity is increased, the vehicle could take you 15 km on a cycle pressure that costs ` 1 only. If the technology is coupled with a normal car and a hybrid vehicle, it could bring down the price of petrol in the market, the students said in a statement.
The students say that they are continuing their experiments with the technology to develop a four-wheeler.
They have been supported by Mechanical experts Alexander (lecturer) and Noble in their experiments.