My engineering idea... plausible?
Hey guys,
I can't tell you what I am working on, yet, at least. However, I can ask for your advice on the general subject.
Here is my idea. I'll use a simple model to help everyone out with my concept.
You are building a tennis ball cannon, like a potato launcher. The thing shoots damned fast, let's say it is capable of like 50 tennis balls a second for a firing rate. Unfortunately, gravity is capped at 13 balls a second.
So, here comes my idea. Say you have a big tennis ball - holding container. You fill it with tennis balls, and then pressurize it using a compressor. When you release the valve where the balls slide into the cannon's firing chamber, the high pressure would rush to low pressure, "sucking" a ball into the chamber at a much faster rate that gravity.
Is it plausible to have this? Would it even work that way? Also, would it be possible for the valve to close, the chamber to pressurize, the valve to open, the ball to be released, etc. at a high rate of speed? Say, like 40 balls a second? Or, would it take way to long to pressurize the chamber? Say the chamber was very small (10 inches by 5 inches at most)?
I know there is a lot of brain power on these forums, I appreciate any help you guys can give me. Also, slug toy, I'm counting on you to pull an equasion out of nowhere and use it to explain my ideas.
EDIT: Crap diagram:
Thanks everyone!
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
Air pressure wouldn't necessarily increase gravity. Instead, have a spring-pistoned cylinder that holds 50 tennis balls, so they will be forced down faster than they can fall.
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
That's the idea - I was hoping a vacuum would be faster than gravity. There are already force feed sort of things out there - they are used on paintball guns all the time. They basically have paddles that force the balls into the gun using a motor.
A piston, you say? Could you elaborate? How small could I make something like that?
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
lol well actually, it wouldn't be small at all.
________
| spring |
| piston |
| ball |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
|_______|
| Valve |
This cylinder would be 50+ tennis balls high. Completely impractical, but effective.
haha, this is like one of those Mythbusters things. If it doesn't happen, make it happen.
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
I plan on designing SOMETHING to effectly feed balls into a chamber at a rate that high.
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
well 50 fps is just a little too high to shoot for. I don't see why you need 50 fps. What's the purpose? Just to do it?
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
Hehe... for now thats a secret.
Only the angels know... (hint hint, google...)
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
Reading this thread will compel me to make a compressed air potato gun (as opposed to an actual explosion-powered one).
I think I know what I'm doing with Christmas money.
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
Re: My engineering idea... plausible?
What about having the balls arranged in a circular pattern?
Then push them at the "end" of the line, and out they come at the beginning's opening.
It's an modification to Mitternacht's idea.