Compressed Air Cannon Physics

Here is some math for you say you have 100psi in your original tank.

Compressed air cannon physics. A pneumatic launcher or air cannon is basically a device that uses compressed air to launch something. Before trying to pressurize the air tank make sure that your valve is closed. Many people launch potatoes or other veggies for fun however other practical uses for air launchers are used. A vortex is a spinning flow of fluid or gas.

See physics behind projectile motion. The use of compressed air cannons in an undergraduate laboratory provides a way to illustrate the connection between diverse physics concepts such as conservation of momentum the work kinetic energy theorem gas expansion air drag and elementary newtonian mechanics. However it is not clear whether the expansion of the gas in the cannon is an adiabatic or an isothermal process. Close the valve so that the air will stay inside the tank and then disconnect the air valve from the tank to prepare for launch.

Connect the valve on the air cannon s tank to the air compressor and fill the tank until the air compressor reads 10 psi. And for sake of simplicity lets make your chamber with 1inch. We recommend setting the back end on the ground and aiming the cannon at an angle of about 40 degrees for max distance. So when you open the valve you will be giving a force of 100 pi pounds.

They are a great experiment to demonstrate projectile motion. However it is not. After aiming turn the handle on the valve quickly and watch your projectile fly. The use of compressed air cannons in an undergraduate lab provides a way to illustrate the cooperation of diverse physics concepts such as conservation of momentum the work kinetic en ergy theorem expansion of gas air drag and elementary newtonian mechanics.

The air that shoots out of the cannon is a vortex of air similar to rings of smoke sometimes blown by smokers. Recently we have used a student built compressed air cannon as a laboratory activity to investigate impulse conservation of momentum and kinematics. The use of compressed air cannons in an undergraduate lab provides a way to illustrate the cooperation of diverse physics concepts such as conservation of momentum the work kinetic energy. Ping pong vacuum cannons potato guns and compressed air cannons are popular and dramatic demonstrations for lecture and lab.

In any air cannon the volume of the tank of compressed air compared to the barrel is always or should be greater. The air cannon is a way to see air as it moves objects within its blast zone.