My engineering idea... plausible?

[Omega]

[QUOTE=tybrenis;60994]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.QUOTE]

the tube is not sucking the balls into it, but rather the hopper is forcing them out.

Think about it this way -- sucking is created by a vacuum, or any pressure under 14.7psi (or just 1 bar.). Pushing is created by pressure -- or any pressure over 14.7psi. If you are forcing something int neutral pressure (14.7 psi) then you need a higher than neutral pressure.

That all should be obvious. Now, comparitavely, the pressurized holding chamber could be considered "neutral" and the tube could be considered a vacuum, but in all reality, you don't compare it like that, you compart it to neutral atmospheric pressure (once agian, 14.7psi).

-Omega

[tybrenis]

[QUOTE=Omega;61434]

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.QUOTE]

the tube is not sucking the balls into it, but rather the hopper is forcing them out.

Think about it this way -- sucking is created by a vacuum, or any pressure under 14.7psi (or just 1 bar.). Pushing is created by pressure -- or any pressure over 14.7psi. If you are forcing something int neutral pressure (14.7 psi) then you need a higher than neutral pressure.

That all should be obvious. Now, comparitavely, the pressurized holding chamber could be considered "neutral" and the tube could be considered a vacuum, but in all reality, you don't compare it like that, you compart it to neutral atmospheric pressure (once agian, 14.7psi).

-Omega

Yes, I am aware of this, sorry for not being spot on.

...

[gaz_the_chav]

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.

Here is mine which I made using drain-piping, Hair-spray and a lighter!

http://www.hrstrailersmarine.com/gaz/Video002.3gp

This is some seriously dangerous **** though. So many times when we did it the end blew up! Good fun mind...

-gaz