Stirling Steam Engine

I took on this project in my CAD and Fabrication class. I designed a miniature Stirling engine using the constraints given by my professor as well as manufactured it at my university’s machine shop. The project consists of acrylic and aluminum. I designed the flywheel, rod piston, and holes.

The most difficult part when designing the project was the assembly of the rotating flywheel connection with the rod piston. Once I designed this engine, I was introduced to my school’s machine shop. Here I learned the basics of using the mill, lathe, and bilateral tolerances.