Abstract: Heat energy is converted to mechanical motion utilizing apparatus including a cylinder, a piston having openings therein reciprocable in the cylinder, inlet and outlet ports for warm water at one end of the cylinder, inlet and outlet ports for cool water at the other end of the cylinder, gates movable with the piston and slidably engaging the cylinder wall to alternately open and close the warm and cool water ports, a spring bearing against the warm water side of the piston and a double helix of a thermal shape memory material attached to the cool end of the cylinder and to the piston. The piston is caused to reciprocate by alternately admitting cool water and warm water to the cylinder.

Abstract: A device for converting heat energy to mechanical energy includes a reservoir of a hot fluid and a rotor assembly mounted thereabove so a portion of it dips into the hot fluid. The rotor assembly may include a shaft having four spokes extending radially outwardly therefrom at right angles to each other, a floating ring and four flexible elements composed of a thermal memory material having a critical temperature between the temperature of the hot fluid and that of the ambient atmosphere extending between the ends of the spokes and the floating ring. Preferably, the flexible elements are attached to the floating ring through curved leaf springs. Energetic shape recovery of the flexible elements in the hot fluid causes the rotor assembly to rotate.