
60” Rubens’ Tube
I built a 60” Rubens’ Tube for personal interest. This apparatus consists of a 6” aluminum ducting tube with holes drilled at regular intervals along the top surface. One end is covered with a solid aluminum cap, the other with a thin flexible membrane - a rubber balloon. Propane gas is fed into the tube through the back and rises out of the drilled holes. Holding a lighter by one of these holes ignites the propane, and the flame automatically spreads along the entire tube. A speaker is placed against the flexible membrane at the entrance of the tube, and music is played through it. The propagation of the sound waves create slight pressure differentials throughout the tube, causing gas to be forced out some of the outlets more forcefully than others and resulting in a larger flame. The overall effect for a single note is a standing wave, or a visualization of the levels for a soundtrack. This classic physics demonstration was educational and interesting to build, and provided a fascinating light show for everyone who had the chance to see it.



