Non Distractive Method of Fire

Control Using Sound Waves

Soma Shekar.C B (som007shekar@gmail.com)
Syed Mansoor Pasha (rmansoorsyed46@gmail.com)

4th year
Department of Mechanical

ABSTRACT: very effective. Foam is water based and

This paper gives a through in sight on the conductor of electricity. It is dangerous to use it
relatively non distractive method of fire on live electrical equipments. Some foam tends
control using sound waves and provides an to break down when in contact with liquids such
in depth analysis of the same. This process
as alcohol.
is clean with no mess and smell since it is
both chemical and water free. It does not
require any powder or foam which is in
present use. Powders, foams and other
chemicals need to be stored in pressurised
cylinders in an open atmosphere,
extinguishers contents spread all over and (4). Carbon dioxide The cooling properties of
need to be forced, but sound waves can
CO2 gas are limited and it produces little
easily be generated and controlled. It can
also be directed without gravity. Both the protection against re-ignition.
Mechanical and Pressure wave behaviours Since CO2 is a gas, windy conditions will effects
of sound generates compression and its performance. Direct impingement of CO2 onto
expansion regions which tends to pull and delicate electrical and electronic equipment could
push the particles together and apart by cause cold shock. Under dry condition the
creating an high and low pressure areas in discharge of CO2 generates static electricity
an alternative concentric rings. The sound
which can be uncomfortable to the user
as a pressure wave has the potential to
manipulate both burning material and
oxygen that surrounds it. Being simple and
non distractive this method could find
applications in fighting small fires.
This paper is aimed at understanding and
analyzing the properties and characteristics
of non distractive fire extinguisher using
sound wave, to study its advantages,
applications, limitations and disadvantages.
This paper also aims at highlighting and
controlling of the method.

1 INTRODUCTION:
1.1 Need
The fire extinguishers in present use are messy
and smell to handle and use. They have some
disadvantages and limitations associated with
their usage as follows.
1.2 Literature Review
(1). Water It is a conductor of electricity and can
The idea of non distractive method of fire control
highly be dangerous if used in class C fire. In the
using sound wave involves the generation and
vicinity of live electric current, if used on class D
propagation of sound wave of lower frequencies.
fire it may cause violent explosion
Sound is a wave that is created by vibrating
(2). Dry powder They have no cooling property
objects and propagates through a medium from
and will not prevent re-ignition. Generally
one location to another. A sound wave can be
powders are messy and some form sticky
described as a disturbance that travels through a
deposition on surface and must be scraped and
medium, transporting energy from one location to
washed away after the use.
another. The medium is simply the material
(3). Foams Most of them form a blanket to
through which the disturbance is moving, it can
extinguish the fire and since it is not possible to
be thought as a series of interacting particles. A
cover flowing flammable liquids, foams are not
sound wave is similar in nature to a slinky wave the fire would be starved of oxygen and
for a variety of reasons. The medium is a series of accordingly would be snuffed off.
interconnected and interacting particles. The
disturbance could be created by the vibrating
vocal cords of a person, the string and
soundboard of a guitar or violin, the vibrating
tines of a tuning fork or the vibrating diaphragm
of a radio speaker.

The sound wave is transported from one location

to another by means of particle-to-particle
interaction, if it is moving through air then as one
air particle is displaced from its equilibrium
position, it exerts a push or pull on its nearest 2.3 Working
neighbour particle causing them to be displaced It works by deep bass sound. Loud and deep
from their equilibrium position and continuous bass sound dub music. The device designed
throughout the entire medium. Since sound wave focuses the sound wave in a specific direction
transport through a medium by the mechanism of instead of spreading out. In reality, sound wave
particle-to-particle interaction it is characterized has the potential to control oxygen and burning
as a mechanical wave. material. If these two gets
It consists of a sound amplifier and a collimator
2 NON DISTRACTIVE METHOD OF FIRE CONTROL to generate and focus the sound.
USING SOUND WAVE: 2.3.1 Sound Amplifier:
2.1 Definitions It is used to produce sound waves of low
The non distractive method of fire control using frequency about 30-60Hz.
sound wave is a simple technique for fighting
small fires. It consists of a sound amplifier and a
collimator which generates and propagates sound
waves of low frequency about 30-60 Hz known as
Bass frequency
The new generation sonic fire extinguisher that
puts out flames is by playing heavy bass. As
compared to the other chemical compound of
classic extinguisher, this method offers the
cleanest way to put out flames.

2.3.2 Collimator:
A collimator is a device that narrows a beam of
particles or wave. It focuses the sound wave in a
particular direction.

2.2 Principle
The principle behind this extinguisher is simple as
they are mechanical pressure wave that causes
vibration in the medium in which they travels,
sound waves have the potential to manipulate
both burning material and oxygen that surrounds
it. If the sound could be used to separate the two,