Question - Peristaltic motors...

[Wordsmith]

No, not a motor driving a peristaltic pump, but a motor producing rotary motion from a compressed air supply.

Only place I've seen this done was on an episode of BBC TV's "The Great Egg Race" from the 70's, where a team were tasked with building a motor and given assorted clutter with which to do so. The winning team took a bicycle wheel, an inner tube and a couple of wooden disks, and created a beautifully smooth motor which really impressed the judges.

So has anybody else ever made one?

 

[kevincoxshall]

Ok so am I correct in thinking you want to run a 'pump' but in reverse with pressure. Looking at the pump above, if you fed it with air I guess it should turn. Steam would be better as it would continue expanding. Your hardest problem would be the material.
I have had a quick look on the internet and there are many uses in dialysis machines, heart pumps, earth worms etc.

Efficiency of this engine should be very high as it would be an external combustion engine.

I'd start with a pump and try getting it to run on air, then design your own.

Kevin
Jersey

 

[Nutsnbolts]

did not make one but with my small experience with them I know that the biggest problem (as a pump) is wearing out the tube that gets smashed. I think this problem would be magnified with use of any drive fluid that is hot.

 

[Herbiev]

Wordsmith. Before we start with the questions, how about an introduction as per the rules. We like to know a bit about the guy we are communicating with

 

[Ned Ludd]

When I was involved with this sort of thing, 40 odd years ago, the tube was a silicon rubber. Can't say if it lasted long term, heart operations only lasted a few hours all being well, then everything got junked.
Ned

 

[sdoitla]

As a kid back in the late 50s, I had a metal, model car that had a pump which filled a cylinder in the car. Pressure from the cylinder would run the paristaltic motor. When it was given to me it was well used. Still lasted for another couple of years. (They actually called it a paristaltic motor.)