Is a flame whistle, pipe organ or flute possible?
Is a flame whistle, pipe organ or flute possible?
Could one arrange a simple candle or wick oil lamp in a way that it would make a sound while it is burning? A simple device without a Sterling engine etc.
Does the rising hot air have enough energy to play a musical instrument?
Bonus if it could make a dual tone or warble for an alarm signal.
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I suppose if one had two almost identical units adjacent to each other the beat frequency could be distinctive.
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– KalleMP
Sep 8 '18 at 16:32
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I was also thinking that a petrol or paraffin burner could power a whistle but the complexity is going too high. I would have hoped for a disposable unit that has little of value. Imagine a haunted hilltop that stops automatically after a few hours.
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– KalleMP
Sep 8 '18 at 16:35
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Google for "pyrophone."
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– Solomon Slow
Sep 8 '18 at 16:49
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The haunted hilltop whistle reminds me of the natural nuclear fission reaction in Gabon. If the water boiled off and happened to cause a whistling noise at some point where it exited the ground...
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– Michael
Sep 8 '18 at 22:43
2 Answers
2
Absolutely!
The classic example is the Rijke tube, where a Bunsen flame (in modern versions) acts as an energy source. When the flame is placed at a location where the heat release can couple with the pressure nodes, it will amplify the acoustic waves and make it "sing." It's a fun experiment and can be done with a candle and a pipe at home (like the original setup).
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Those are loud! If one is a bit careful one can use a wide cardboard tube.
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– Pieter
Sep 8 '18 at 16:14
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This is amazing, never heard of it but it is old news. Hmm, 1kW of electrical heat is a bit much. I was thinking of a candle powered haunted house :-) Can this be scaled down, I don't need a lot of noise.
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– KalleMP
Sep 8 '18 at 16:30
Yes you can. the propane-fueled radiant space heater in my shop exhibits a very strong resonance while the flame is on which is loud enough to interfere with conversation.
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Looking for compact examples. Though your heater sounds antisocial.
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– KalleMP
Sep 8 '18 at 19:33
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it is antisocial. the only antidote is vodka.
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– niels nielsen
Sep 8 '18 at 22:21
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I dont know if dry air is enough, but there already exist steam whistles. For example whistling tea kettles, or old train whistles.
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– user190081
Sep 8 '18 at 15:53