Skip to main content

ALUMINIUM BEVERAGE CAN -AN ENGINEERING MARVEL

   
     The aluminium cans that you use to drink not only contains juices and coke but so much science

     15000 cans are manufactured in one-second worldwide.  A light and strong container.
     We can have spherical containers like fruits.  It requires the least raw material.  (Sphere is the only shape which has maximum volume and minimum surface area).  But it is difficult to manufacture spheres.  And it has only 74% packing efficiency.  That means 26% of space in a box goes waste.
     Next, we can think of the cuboid (rectangle area).  Here edges are sharp and weak.  And the packing efficiency is also not good.
     Finally, we come to cylindrical containers.  We can rapidly manufacture them.  The packing efficiency is 91%.  The cylinders have a curved surface.  The curved surfaces always have more strength than flat surfaces.

     The bottom of the can is always "domed".  Because of 1. The arched surface gives strength.  2. The semi-spherical surface requires less material than a flat surface.
    To open, a lever arrangement is provided on the top. Lift, press, and Drink.

     Along with beverages, some gases like carbon dioxide or nitrogen is filled up.  Hence, twice the atmospheric pressure is there inside the can.  The pressure reinforces the strength of the wall of the can.  A filled coke can actually bear and withstand the weight of a man.  The wall is only .75 microns(0.075mm) thick, Or it is as thick as human hair.  (one gram saved in the manufacturing of cans will save 200000 tonnes of aluminium globally per annum)
     Today, 70% of recyclable materials are used in the production of cans.  Also, plastic is being replaced by aluminium foils now.
    Next time, when you drink from a can, appreciate the engineering.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE EARTH, A SUPER ORGANISM

     JOIN MY COURSE: "Become a programmer in a day with python"       A man called 'love lock' (what a name) proposed a theory called Gaia theory, named after Greek Goddess.      It says, "Earth is a self-regulating organism like a human being.  The organic life in it interacts with in-organic matter and maintains atmosphere, temperature and environment".  Hence the earth is still suitable for the life to thrive.      Imagine, in a particular place, there are lot of flowers.  Some flowers are white and some are darkly coloured.  We know, white reflects light and heat while dark absorbs the same.  White flowers can thrive in hot climate.  But dark flowers requires cold climate.  The absorption and reflection balances and the environment reaches average, warm temperature at which both the flowers can co-exist.  This is the essence of "Gaia" theory.      On our earth, the oxygen constitute 20% of the atmosphere.  The oxygen level is always mai

THE PARABOLA

          A jet of water shooting from a hose pipe will follow a parabolic path.  What is the so special about parabola.    Y= x^2 Draw a graph for the above equation.  It will result in a parabola.  This parabola is also called unit parabola.  Any equation involving square will yield a parabola. Example:  Y = 2x^2 +3x+3 (also called quadratic equation)    X= 2 and -2, both  satisfies the equation 4 = X^2.  Parabolic equations always have two solutions.     Any motion taking place freely under gravity follows parabolic path. Examples:   An object dropped from a moving train,   A bomb dropped from flying plane,  A ball kicked upwards.      If a beam of light rays fall on the parabolic shaped mirror, they will be reflected and brought to focus on a point.  This fact is made use of in Dish Antenna, Telescope mirrors, etc.      Inverted parabola shape is used in the construction of buildings and bridges.  Because the shape is able to bear more weight.      A plane

DISORDER IS THE "ORDER OF THE DAY"

         Imagine a balloon full of air.  The air molecules are moving randomly inside the balloon.  Let us pierce the balloon with a pin.  The air rushes out.  Why should not the air molecules stay inside the balloon safely and ignore the little hole?  That is not the way the world works.  The molecules always "want to occupy as many states as possible".  Hence the air goes out in the open to occupy more volume.   The things always goes into disorder (entropy) and the disorder increases with time.  The above statement is what we call "second law of thermodynamics".      Consider a cup of coffee on the table. Suppose the heat from entire room flows to your cup of coffee, the coffee will boil and the rest of the room will freeze.  Freezing means bringing things to order and arrangement.  It violates the second law.  Hence it will never happen.  Hence heat must flow from high temperature to low temperature and not the other way.        The air molecules in y