USING PHASE CHANGE EXPANSION OF A SUBSTANCE TO PERFORM WORK ON A WORKPIECE

摘要

Apparatus and method for working of a workpiece use the expansion of water in a container during the freezing process to drive a piston against a workpiece that is positioned to at least partially overlie a cross-sectional area of a hollow interior of the container. Use of a piston with a tapered working end focuses the resulting force against a small area of the workplece in order to produce a bend in the workpiece at the point of application. In environments where conventional bending tools are not available, the apparatus can be used to perform bending or other operations on workpieces of varying materials.