Smoke+Cannon

Adam Ratner Title of Demonstration: Smoke Cannon

Materials: ***Materials can vary and will still work well. This is just what I used. Feel free to experiment.*** 5 Gallon Bucket 2 Small Bungee Cords Cloth Tarp with Laminated surface (Just make sure that air can’t escape) Small hook Small cabinet handle. Any type of plank (We used plywood) Duct Tape Super Glue (We used gorilla glue) Fog machine Jigsaw Saw C Clamps Hand Drill Pliers

Procedure:

CREATE THE SMOKE CANNON:
 * 1) Using the jigsaw cut a moderately large hole into the center bottom of the bucket. This should be a few inches in diameter. If the hole is too large or small, performance WILL be affected negatively.
 * 2) Use the hand drill to create two small holes along a diameter of the hole you just made. These must be slightly away from the hole and is what the bungee cords will hook onto.
 * 3) Cut your plank into two moderately large squares, these will be used to create the handle.
 * 4) Drill your hook and handle onto the wood squares. (The procedure will vary depending on the hook and handle you have chosen.)
 * 5) Cut your cloth tarp to a reasonable size, but leave A LOT of excess cloth. It will be trimmed away later. (This is what will push the air out of the bucket and will cover the large opening.)
 * 6) Sandwich the center of the cloth tarp you just cut between the two wooden blocks and superglue it together. You will need c clamps and a lot of time for the glue to dry properly. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE GLUE BOTTLE!
 * 7) Once dry, attach the bungee cords to the hook and to the holes you drilled on the bottom of the bucket. Use pliers to secure the connections if necessary.
 * 8) Let the wood block hang from the bungee cords. Wherever it falls is where the wooden block should be after duct taping the tarp to the side of the bucket.
 * 9) Duct tape the tarp to the side of the bucket. Make sure there are no leaks! For best results, it must be completely sealed.

Shooting the Smoke 1. Let the fog machine warm up. 2. When it is ready, place the opening of your smoke cannon to the fog machine and turn it on. Let the smoke cannon overflow with fog so that you know it is completely filled. 3. There are two ways to fire the fog. a. If you pull back all the way, the fog will shoot out in a blast but there are no visible geometric shapes. b. If you tap/lightly push the wooden block, rings of smoke will shoot out of the cannon. Note that it is not possible to form any other shape other than rings, so don’t make your hole star shaped! It will negatively affect the performance of your smoke cannon.

Explanation of chemistry:

The smoke cannon utilizes physics more than chemistry, but there are still a few things that can be discussed. The //elasticity// of the bungee cords provides the force needed to expel the fog from the smoke cannon. Elastomers are basically materials that return to their original shape after being stretched, as long as it does not exceed their elastic range. You may want to discuss the deformation curve shown below and explain it in relation to chemical bonds and the structure of elastomers. The fog machine vaporizes a water based solution by exposing the solution to high temperature and pressure. It is just like a steam cleaner!