Smoke Ring Cannon

Introduction: Hello there I'm going to be explaining to you how to set up a smoke ring cannon. Also on how fun it is. In order to do this project you need a smoke/fog machine and a air bag/plastic garbage can. To do the project you need to cut a three-inch hole in the bottom of the garbage can and put a plastic shower curtain over the top part of the garbage can and start heating up your smoke/fog machine.

There are many examples of vortices in the real world, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, whirlpools in a bathtub or sink, and dust devils. Most of these are a different type of vortex in which material spirals in from the outside toward the center of the vortex-- often called an axial vortex. A toroidal vortex is different in that material does not move toward the center of the ring: instead it rotates around the ring continuously.

Materials: Air bag, Fog Machine, water (if you have a fog machine that takes water), and cups.

Procedure: The smoke rings created by the Smoke Ring Cannon are an example of a type of vortex in the shape of a torus. A torus is a donut-shaped ring constant cross-section(thickness). The smoke in a smoke ring rotates around the surface of the torus, and is known as a toroidal vortex or tornado vortex. When the Smoke Ring Cannon is struck on the back surface, the pressure pulse that is created moves air and smoke forward toward the hole. Originally, all the smoke and air particles have about the same speed as they approach the hole. The smoke ring forms when a puff of air mixed with smoke passes through the hole. The air next to the edge of the hole is slowed down by drag of the surface of the hole. Because the drag is greatest at the outer edge of the hole, a velocity gradient is set up in the outer layers of smoke. This velocity gradient cause the inner layers to roll around the outer layers, creating circulation in a ring shape. Below are pictures of the steps on how to make a smoke ring.

Safety Regulations: Make sure you stay away 50 cm of the fog machine nozzle.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse