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| amplexus |
 Posted: 05/13/2006 23:14 PM Post subject: Mach 3 spudgun / mass driver |
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Private
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 5
20.42 Spud Bux
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| Has anyone considered building a spudgun using Gerald O'Neils mass driver plans.(he was a physicist and active in promoting space colonies) His prototype built from salvaged magnets from a particle accellerator would accelerate a chunk of 2" plexiglass rod (about the mass of a potato) from zero to mach 3 in less than eight feet. It left the barrell at such a high velocity that the projectile melted due to air friction. Before his death larger versions were planned that would loft stuff into low earth orbit. All you need are a few superconducting magnets and some fast switching electronics. I suspect some potato marketing association might be convinced to fund this for advertising purposes. |
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| zvallance1 |
| Posted: 05/13/2006 23:29 PM Post subject: Re: Mach 3 spudgun / mass driver |
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Sergeant
Joined: 21 Dec 2005
Posts: 94
0.79 Spud Bux
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oh boy! we can accelerate potato mist thru peoples skulls!
woopee!
but really. if air friction melts solid plexiglass, whats to keep a potato (or ANYTHING for that matter) from just vaporizing!? |
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| amplexus |
| Posted: 05/13/2006 23:40 PM Post subject: |
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Private
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 5
20.42 Spud Bux
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Try freezing with liquid nitrogen
Construction and testing of the 2.5m mass driver
SNOW, W. R.ONEILL, G. K. (Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.)
AIAA-1979-2095
Princeton University, and DGLR, International Electric Propulsion Conference, 14th, Princeton, N.J., Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 1979, AIAA 13p.
check out the details |
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| djt |
| Posted: 05/13/2006 23:41 PM Post subject: |
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Major
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 387
863.26 Spud Bux
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| if it vaporizes then just use something stronger than plexiglass like metal. and even if you did just make something that could make stuff desinegrate at three times the speed of sound then it still sounds cool to me. |
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| saladtossser |
| Posted: 05/13/2006 23:42 PM Post subject: |
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SpudZilla
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 1237
98.19 Spud Bux
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do you know how big a magnet for a linear accelerator is??
here is a hint
what i'm saying is, it will be too big to be any fun...
but it'll still be cool to have one though lol |
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| Atlantis |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 0:57 AM Post subject: |
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Brigadier General
Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 954
5042.87 Spud Bux
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| You do realize ptatoes are not magnetic...I seriously hope you do. Anyways, this has been made in smaller versions, they're called coil guns, you can find plenty of info on the internet, they fire ANYTHING metal. Another method of magnetic propulsion is called a railgun, they pump massive amounts of electricity through 2 rails and it goes through the ammo itself, it welds it to the rails half the time. |
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| boilingleadbath |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 1:00 AM Post subject: |
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Moderator
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 1647
5491.22 Spud Bux
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| Would you mind explaining how you plan on exerting a force on a non-ferrous material with a magnet? |
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| sam_516 |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 5:12 AM Post subject: |
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Specialist
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
Posts: 52
69.85 Spud Bux
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y the hell would you want to make a gun the vaporizes wat you shoot
and yes potatos are not maganic so you would not be able to shoot them unless you had a metal wading behind it, and any way GOOOOOOD LUCK MAKING IT |
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| amplexus |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 23:02 PM Post subject: |
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Private
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 5
20.42 Spud Bux
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| The actual prototype was a foot or so in diameter and 2.5m long it accelerates non-ferrous materials such as Plexiglas or potato by way of a carrier bucket, there are photos of the original on the net. I suspect that a frozen potato will not vaporize although it may cook in flight |
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| saladtossser |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 23:07 PM Post subject: |
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SpudZilla
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 1237
98.19 Spud Bux
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guys, non-ferrous materials can be moved by magnets, just strong ones.
i saw it on discovery so it must be true lol |
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| amplexus |
| Posted: 05/14/2006 23:37 PM Post subject: |
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Private
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 5
20.42 Spud Bux
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| While it is possible to levitate a spider via paramagnetism it is beyond current magnet technology to toss it at 4000 feet per second. O'Neill's magnets produced a couple of tesla current magnets are up to 35 tesla. |
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| boilingleadbath |
| Posted: 05/15/2006 15:22 PM Post subject: |
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Moderator
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 1647
5491.22 Spud Bux
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Hmm... ok, it seems to be a feasible story.
So, my question: did it operate as a normal coilgun, or in 'quench-gun' mode? |
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| amplexus |
| Posted: 05/15/2006 21:45 PM Post subject: |
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Private
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 5
20.42 Spud Bux
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| There were several protypes built by MIT grad students. Mass driver 2 used superconducting magnets in a push pull setup, details and all the math has been published. |
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| WOW!! |
| Posted: 05/27/2006 12:15 PM Post subject: |
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Brigadier General
Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 887
475.63 Spud Bux
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