Air bazooka
Encyclopedia
The air vortex cannon, sold commercially as the air bazooka or airzooka is a short, wide plastic tube with a slight taper and a plastic diaphragm at the larger end. The diaphragm is attached to elastic strips which allow it to be extended and released with a sudden rush forcing a quantity of air out of the smaller end at speed. The design facilitates the formation of an air vortex
which travels some distance and retains its energy sufficiently to cause a noticeable disturbance when it strikes a person or object.
Its simple construction easily allows home made versions to be built.
The worlds biggest Air vortex cannon was built in March 2008 by students of physics professor Dan Dahlberg at the University of Minnesota with diameter of 9 feet and a displacement volume of 2873 gallons. Its effective range was 100 feet.
It has been taken up by theme parks such as Universal Studios
and visitor attractions to add a spooky touch to visitors in "haunted houses".
. A quantity of air is expelled from the toy in such a way as to create a doughnut
-shaped vortex ring
. The core region of the vortex ring always consists of the same air travelling away from the cannon. The doughnut region travels with the core but acts as a rotating buffer between the core and the still surrounding air. Just as a rotating wheel lessens friction with the ground, the doughnut vortex lessens friction between the core and the surrounding still air. The core puff of air thus travels much further and retains its speed much better than a jet of air with no vortex.
Vortex ring
A vortex ring, also called a toroidal vortex, is a region of rotating fluid moving through the same or different fluid where the flow pattern takes on a toroidal shape. The movement of the fluid is about the poloidal or circular axis of the doughnut, in a twisting vortex motion...
which travels some distance and retains its energy sufficiently to cause a noticeable disturbance when it strikes a person or object.
Its simple construction easily allows home made versions to be built.
History
The vortex effect has been observed since antiquity. The toy was invented by Brian S. Jordan who had the idea as a boy but was only able to develop it to a saleable toy in adulthood with the help of Creative Group Marketing (CGM). It was launched in 2003 by Can You Imagine, Incorporated of Chatsworth, California . The production toy has a diameter of 12 inches and can project a vortex able to ruffle hair, disturb papers or blow out candles at a distance of up to twenty feet.The worlds biggest Air vortex cannon was built in March 2008 by students of physics professor Dan Dahlberg at the University of Minnesota with diameter of 9 feet and a displacement volume of 2873 gallons. Its effective range was 100 feet.
It has been taken up by theme parks such as Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and visitor attractions to add a spooky touch to visitors in "haunted houses".
How it works
It is one common commercial example of vortex ring toysVortex ring toys
A vortex ring toy generates vortex rings – rolling donut-shapes of fluid – that move through the fluid . A smoke ring is a common example of a vortex ring...
. A quantity of air is expelled from the toy in such a way as to create a doughnut
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...
-shaped vortex ring
Vortex ring
A vortex ring, also called a toroidal vortex, is a region of rotating fluid moving through the same or different fluid where the flow pattern takes on a toroidal shape. The movement of the fluid is about the poloidal or circular axis of the doughnut, in a twisting vortex motion...
. The core region of the vortex ring always consists of the same air travelling away from the cannon. The doughnut region travels with the core but acts as a rotating buffer between the core and the still surrounding air. Just as a rotating wheel lessens friction with the ground, the doughnut vortex lessens friction between the core and the surrounding still air. The core puff of air thus travels much further and retains its speed much better than a jet of air with no vortex.
External links
- Air vortex cannon working on ignited gas at BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Bang Goes the TheoryBang Goes the TheoryBang Goes the Theory is a British television science magazine series, co-produced by the BBC and the Open University, that began on 27 July 2009 on BBC One. Presented by Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Dr... - http://www.funkygadgetshop.co.uk/index.php?productID=240 - Air Zooka, Type of Air Vortex Cannon