Quick method for refilling chambers

[Jakal444]

Just after I finished my first combustion cannon ( a mini, please help me with it is in the 'submit combustion forums' ), I had an idea when it comes to refilling the chamber.

If you use a spray type fuel, can you inflate a balloon with it by making an airtight seal around it and the nozzle?

Then you just put the balloon inside the chamber seal it then using some sort of pin, pop it whilst its inside the chamber. Thus releasing the fuel vapours.

That way you have pre-prepared 'charges' like an artillery gun.

Then its just a matter of getting the right amount of fuel into the balloon whilst inflating. What do you think, is it possible?

[dragon finder]

i have thoght of that for a good long time it should work if the baloon pops. post if progress comes.

[boilingleadbath]

This has come up before - and has a few issues:

Firstly, there's the trouble of making all these filled balloons.
Secondly, you still have to open the chamber, insert the ballon, close the chamber and manipulate the popper... it won't be much, if any, faster.
Thirdly, there's the questionable legality of an almost cartrige-fed design.

[cardinals08]

I say its too much trouble, it makes it harder and a little more expensive, cause you gotta fill the balloons with the fuel, and you gotta buy the balloons, and it would be easier to get the right amount of fuel in a chamber. cause to get the right amount of fuel in the balloon, and have it big enough to pop, you gotta blow it up some first, or blow it up more after you spray fuel in the balloon. It would either have to be a small balloon or a big chamber.

[K40T1C]

I agree with the rest of the guys, i highly doubt that you coul dgo through that entire processs faster than the normal way of reloading. even if you could there is two more problems... first of all, when the baloon gets popped it will leave little baloon peices in the chamber that may melt during combustion... secondly, hen fuel is first sprayed from some thing like a aerosol can, it is actually in a very fine mmist rather than a true gas, so during the tim between when you fill the baloon and you pop it, the fuel droplets suspeended in the air would slowly cluster togetyher and condense in the bottom.... oh and i dont mean to be suchha kill joy but... i though of another thing... depending on the original size of the baloon, the ruibber may not be stretched out enough to pop easily.

[Jakal444]

I perfectly understand now. I have been testing this theory that the mist from the aerosol will condense...and in conclusion... it does!

I filled a balloon with quite a good amount of deoderant and tied it off. Then, left it with a stopwatch for a few minutes. When i returned the balloon had deflated quite a bit and when shaken you here a liquid sloshing around. Also it was impossible to pop.

So, its back to drawing board for a fuel cartridge design!!

Just to reply to the loading speed issues, I never really had in mind a super fast method for refilling the chamber( even though that is the title of the topic)
its all just experimentation for a brighter future in the world of spudgunning! But I read all the posts and they are all very interesting. Thanks.

[Atlantis]

If you really want a faster fueling method, just put a decent sized ball valve instead of a cleanout plug on the back.

[Hitler_the_spud]

hey i would put fuel, fire, hope fire would burst ballon during firing and give it a extra kick \lol

[rl93]

i think its stupid

[Atlantis]

Gotta love his bluntness. A balloon would take longer in prep time and would be a waste of many. There's a cannon here somwhere that uses PVC shells filled with propane I think.

[jrrdw]

If anybody finds the discussion/thread on the PVC shells filled with propane, post the link, i would love to see the design.

Thanks

[CS]

By using ballons you guys want to acheive a fast refill times. If that is your goal you could make something that either had several small cylinders containing preinjected fuel (propane, mapp, etc) then just simply seprate from the chamber by a ball valve or make a metering system so that it will fill the metering pipe then when you open the valve to the chamber the propane from tank will no longer be able to flow, but propane can flow from metering system. Whats that valve called...? Its a sliding something.

Anyways if you really intrested in already metered propane I have a idea (several actually). All designs would work off of a pre-metred shell which would consist of a 1.5" sch40 pipe on one end sealed by a end cap, then the other covered by a burst disk material (ballon maybe?). These designs would also work of the fact that the ID or 2" sch80 is very close to the OD of 1.5" sch 40 (only a .09 dif). Then these 1.5" pre-metered shells could be feed to chamber via a graity feed magazine or by hand inserting from the rear. You could also use the pressure created to propel the projectile to also eject the shell. Such a construction would be quite complicated. If you have any other questions just bounce them off me, because even though im not to intrested in making myself such a cannon I would much rather help some one construct one. So go ahead and bounce em'!

[jrrdw]

How about putting refillable cylinders on a slide clip, and a lever would push the cylinder into the chamber were the disk would burst, fill the chamber, then you fire it, lift the lever back up, retracting the refillable cylinder, once it clears the chamber keeping the lever in motion it slides the next cylinder in place for loading the chamber. The refillable cylinders will have to have a o-ring to make a seal. I hope everyone can picture what i'm thinking, i will try to draw it up in paint and post it.

[frankrede]

That is an interesting idea,but it is impractical. Things would take longer this way. It would be alot quicker with a ball valve.