Research:

~Potential problems that can result in not firing correctly or efficiently
- sealing around pressure chamber
- not enough pressure due to too large of volume
- too small of chamber so cannon seeks release otherwise than towards ball
- angle of firing wrong- needed to be around 60 degrees instead of the 45 that we used



~Relation between Pressure, Volume, and Temperature
-increase in volume=decrease in pressure
-increase in temperature=increase in pressure
-increase in temperature=increase in volume



~During the medieval era it took roughly 200 men to operate, but as technology increased the number of people used to operate decreased.

a - knob; b - neck; c - vent; d - trunnion; e - muzzle swell; f - muzzle face; g - muzzle; h - rimbase; i - cascable; j - breech; k - chamber; l – bore

Hypothesis:

Through Gay Lussac's law, stating at a constant volume, temperature and pressure are directly proportioned, if we create a small chamber where teh temperature of the fire can increase without increasing teh pressure to a point where it will blow off the nerf ball, then teh increase in temperature will increase the pressure and blow the nerf ball the farthest.

Planning:

In planning for the construction of our cannon we took into account the affects of pressure and volume. We determined that the best way to maximize the distance of the ball was to create a chamber for the pressure to build up in before reaching the ball. By keeping the pressure separate from the ball at first would give the combustion reaction time to build up enough pressure to launch the ball. We then had to decide what size the chambers should be. We figured that the pressure chamber should be around 2.5 inches and the barrel for the ball would be the length of the tennis ball can. For the pressure to be able to reach the barrel we would cut out a hole in the bottom of the barrel then tape the two chambers together. We also figured that the cannon need to be elevated, giving more distance to the travel of the ball, so we decided that we would need to make a stand with the left over parts from our two cans.

Design:

Construction:

Steps:
1. Cut the bottom of one can about 2.5 inches high
2. Use a hole punch to create a hole for the wood splint in this 2.5 inch section
3. Cut four 1/4inch sections in the smaller section
4. Cut another hole in the bottom of the container that has not yet been cut
5. Place this section in the smaller one and tape them together, making sure the hole is not covered
6. bend the metal lid out to create legs to hold the cannon up with
7. Tape this metal piece on and hold your cannon up

Firing of the Cannon:

The idea which we created for our cannon, with their being a chamber where gas could build up in worked fairly well. Our cannon shot the nerf ball farther then most of the nerf balls that were shot, except for one. The structures and designs that were similar to ours in the aspect of a short pressure chamber shot relatively close in distance to ours. The cannon that did shoot the nerf ball a lot farther then ours was opposite in the fact that they had a larger pressure chamber and shorter shooting tunnel. An improvement we could have made to our cannon is making the chamber larger. The chamber of the cannon that shot farther then ours was 1.5 times larger then the tunnel, unlike ours which was smaller then the tunnel.

It was evident that an exothermic reaction had taken place after our cannon was shot. Our cannon began to deteriorate after it was shot and started to melt and cave in. There was also a smell of smoke that was emitted from the cannon. Above all other things when the cannon was picked up it was very warm to the touch.

Steps in Firing:

1.) Ethanol is added to the cannon

2.) Nerf Ball is placed in the cannon

3.) Wood splint is lit and nerf ball is thrown five feet!!!

Reflection:

Overall our cannon worked out well. Component that helped our experiment work were the smooth rim which decreased the amount of friction that the nerf ball would have. We also had less volume through the chamber in order for there to be a strong amount of pressure through the experiment. Our experiment was successful because we created a combustion reaction, and found a way to balance pressure and volume so that the cannon ball would go the furthest distance. Although we were successful we could have made the chamber bigger so that he pressure would have a longer time to build up, and changed the angel of our cannon so that the nerf ball would travel a farther distance.
~Markita Patterson

Overall the idea which we created for our cannon in creating a chamber where the pressure can build up worked. Our cannon shot further then most groups, but not the furthest. Overall I was impressed by the fact that our cannon was one of the simplest cannons but yet it shot a lot further then others. I was also impressed by the fact that our cannon worked in ways we did not expect it to. Such as the rim which was left in tact did not create friction keeping the nerf ball on the cannon, it rather allowed a smooth surface for the ball to be released from. In created our cannon we did not expect this to be a factor.
~Brittany Artale

Assesment:

Throughout the entire project I feel that I contributed a great deal to the project as a whole. In our group Stephanie, David, Markita and I all contributed to the research prior to building. Stephanie and I also worked diligently on constructing the cannon with Lillian, who is no longer in our group, after the design of how we would like to construct our cannon was made. During the firing of cannon I was the person who lit the wood splint and compared our cannon to others. Each person in our group had one specific goal during the firing.
~Brittany Artale

I believe that I did not play a very large role in this project, I helped some for building the cannon but I did not help with the planning for I came into the group late and by the time I came in mostly all that was left to be done was some research of how and why things worked the way they did but other than that there was not much left to do.
~David Carriker

Although I was absent during the significant period of the project: building of the cannon; I think I did a good job trying to be involved with my group. I took pictures of the experiment, and helped with some of our team decisions. If I could do anything else better, I would have attended school when the project was assigned.
~Makita Patterson

I feel that my entire group contributed and worked diligently to achieve our successful cannon. We all put in good ideas and worked together to come up with our design for our cannon and all shared the work for our research. I believe that personally I worked very hard and that I fully understood the concept of how volume and pressure work together and how if put together properly they can create enough pressure to launch a ball. I do not feel that anyone person did more work than the others and I am very happy with the outcome of our project.
~Stephanie Gallaher