The risk of injury to the operator or bystanders is high, because accidental explosions of the gun due to the high-pressure rise during combustion of the gas/air mixture may occur. To conclude, this work provides basic information on the internal ballistics of homemade gas combustion guns. The muzzle energy was calculated to be between 67 J (ethylene) and 204 J (acetylene). The highest maximum rate of pressure rise was determined for hydrogen at (dp/dt)max = 607 bar/s. The maximum gas pressure was measured to be between 1.4 bar (ethylene) and 4.5 bar (acetylene).

The maximum gas pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise, the time parameters of the pressure curve, and the velocity and path of the projectile through the barrel as a function of time were determined according to the pressure-time curve. Projectile velocity was measured with a ballistic speed measurement system. Gas pressure in the combustion chamber was captured with a piezoelectric pressure sensor. Gas/air mixtures of acetylene, hydrogen, and ethylene were used as propellants for discharging a 46-mm caliber test projectile. A gas combustion gun was constructed with a steel tube as the main component. As information on the internal ballistics of homemade gas combustion-powered guns is scarce, it is the aim of this work to provide an experimental model of the internal ballistics of these devices and to investigate their basic physical parameters. Yet some serious injuries and fatalities due to these guns are reported. They are usually constructed for recreational rather than criminal purposes. Potato guns are popular homemade guns which work on the principle of gas combustion. Propellant acetylene performed the best on average (138.1 m/s), followed by Which accelerated the potato to the highest muzzle velocity. The most effective experimental propellant was defined as the one Additional quantities includingįorce on the potato and the pressure applied to the potato were also computed.įor each experimental propellant, average velocity vs. Velocity and acceleration as functions of time. Taken for each experimental propellant and the results analyzed to compute For each trial, position asĪ function of time was determined via frame by frame analysis. (LFL), which in turn were affected by the volume of the combustion chamber.Ĭylindrical projectiles were cut from raw potatoes so that there was anĪirtight fit, and each weighed 50 (+/- 0.5) grams. Propellant was calculated to approximate a stoichometric mixture andĬonsidering the Upper Flammability Limit (UFL) and the Lower Flammability Limit FiveĮxperimental propellants were tested: propane (C3H8), acetylene (C2H2), ethanol BothĬombustion chamber and barrel were made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Propellants and have a transparent barrel so the movement of the projectileĬould be recorded on high-speed video (at 2000 frames per second). Now we will apply the law of conservation of momentum, so we have m small b v small b plus m capital bismallthat capital b- that is equals to because it will get embeter, so the mass will be added multiplied with vay.A potato cannon was designed to accommodate several different experimental It is at rest, so we will take this as 0 velocity of the block that is 0. We will represent this with the b small v that is 320 meter per second, and the velocity of block is all so. That is w b small b that is equivalent to 5 newton. This is represented by, and this is given to a 0.5 kilo newton, so here this is equivalent to 500 newton.

Will the beg swing after it was hit by the peso now solving this out, we will take some denominations here, so weight of block. We have to find how high is the height that we have to calculate. The weight of the bullet is equals to 5 newtons and we have and mergel velocity is given. In this question, it is given that a turn is short into a 0.5 kilo newton's log, which is hanging from the rope of length 0.8 meter long.

Muzzle velocity