Jaime: DIY Archimedes Screw

Thursday 6 July 2017

DIY Archimedes Screw

An Archimede's screw is a Greek-originated machine used to move things such as water, seeds, and steel to a higher level. Today we had a practical experiment and made our own Archimedes screw, using household items. Here's how to make your own!

Materials

Flexible, clear piping
Hot water
Coke or V aluminium Cans (need to be tall and thin)
Waterproof/duct tape
Two buckets or large bowls

Method

1. Soften the piping in hot water.
2. Securely tape four cans together with duct/waterproof tape, to make one tall can.
3. Tightly wrap the tubing around the can with approximately 10-15cm between intervals.
4. Using waterproof/duct tape, secure the tubing at the top and bottom of the cans, making sure you don't obstruct the waterway.

We put the screw in a basin of water at an angle and slowly rotated it.

This is what the can looked like as we wrapped the tubing around it.

Now that the Archimedes screw is constructed, gently place it in a basin of water at a slight acute angle. Place a bucket at the end of the waterway to ensure you don't spill any water. Have one person hold the first bucket with the bottom of the tube in it at an acute angle.
Slowly rotate the screw with your hands, and water should come up through the tube, out of the end, and into the bucket.

As the screw is rotated, the water from the bucket goes into the tube and continues going up as it is rotated, then coming out of the other end.

How can we make it more efficient?
We could have added a handle at the top of the can to make rotating the screw much easier, and prevent having to rotate it constantly with our hands. Most of the ancient Archimedes screws were equipped with these, although nowadays in modern society, they are powered by a motor!