Pump Up the Bass to Douse a Blaze: Mason Students’ Invention Fights Fires
The fire extinguisher uses low-frequency sound waves to douse a blaze. Engineering seniors Viet Tran and Seth Robertson now hold a preliminary patent application for their potentially revolutionizing device. www.gmu.edu
These University engineering students rigged up a sonic fire extinguisher that lets out soundwaves at frequencies between 30 and 60 hz. At that rate, the waves move the air around them in such a way that they disrupt the rapid oxidation at the core of a fire. The process essentially separates the oxygen from the fuel source and quickly extinguishes the fire.
The tech has been tested as effective on alcohol-based fires, and the team is working on figuring out ways to disrupt other fuel sources, like wood, oil, or fabric. But if they can pull it off, they could find a cheaper, cleaner way to put out fires quickly. Source