pneumatic timed aerosol grenade

[Solar]

These fit in 37 and 40mm or can be thrown by hand. They are using pepper spray in this one, but can have a nosecone attached and use the compressed air for other uses controlled with the timer.

[jrrdw]

How do these work?

[Solar]

The button on top pushes a hollow shaft down through the center that activates the can's valve. Pressure flows into a cavity on one side of a piston, and bleeds into another cavity that pressurizes the opposite side of the piston which has a greater surface area. The size of the second cavity and bleed hole determine the delay. No burst valve. Can be made reusable with screw on cans or one shot wonders.

Simple concept, but a lot went into making these a reality. These are designed to replace/supplement the current Army issue aerosol units that have no timing system.

I will have a video this week. PM me if you are interested in more details.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Fascinating, a sort of pop-off valve then? How effective are they in terms of radius, are they intended for crowd control or subduing individuals?

[Solar]

1 of the cans shown is good for a 16x16 room. I am not sure the radius, it depends on the size of the nozzle hole. The cans have a 1/4" source valve we are tapping. With a larger exit hole we can get a further spray, but the can empties faster and it is not as aerosolized. I can see that for spraying someone in the face from a greater distance, but the misting for filling rooms. You could look at it as a pop off that replaces a spring with it's own pressure. This way, temperature and initial pressure do not affect the timing as much.

[Solar]

Also, the button has a snap groove so it stays down, even with the can pressure pushing back at it. We can configure it to have cuts that allow the button to have a safety by twisting or with a snap ring style pull ring.