Image

Fun with Fundamentals Puzzler: Shell Shocker

Jan. 1, 2007
Wurme gets to his stand early on opening day, initiating a new era of hunting. He fires up his generator and tunes it to 40 A. If the slug shooter is based on conventional railgun design, how far can he reach with each shot?

See the previous problem: Gone to the dogs.

Finagle J. Wurme has missed deer season again. For the tenth straight year, his boss at Charlie's Diner wouldn't give him time off. Randy, the cook, claimed bow season. Andy, the cashier, took gun season, and the new hostess, Sandy, blocked off all the days during muzzle loading for cosmetic surgery.

Determined to hunt and aided by a loophole in the local county code, Wurme establishes an auxiliary season for electric sporting arms. Using an old rifle stock, some jumper cables, and wire hangers, he concocts a device that would make Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson howl.

Wurme gets to his stand early on opening day, initiating a new era of hunting. He fires up his generator and tunes it to 40 A.

If the slug shooter is based on conventional railgun design, how far can he reach with each shot?

Assume the rails are 5 cm apart and that they generate a magnetic field of 5 Tesla.

Assume the horizontal acceleration Ax is assigned a value of 1,000 m/sec2 when the projectile is still within the gun. (Once it's left the gun, well ... think about it ...)

Assume the rail is about 1 m long.

Hint: You can the equation X = Xo + Vxo·T + 0.5·Ax·T2 to describe the system.

Okay, I've had enough. Give me the solution.

About the Author

Elisabeth Eitel

Elisabeth Eitel was a Senior Editor at Machine Design magazine until 2014. She has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Fenn College at Cleveland State University.

Sponsored Recommendations

June 27, 2025
Ensure workplace safety and compliance with our comprehensive Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Safety Training course. Learn critical procedures to prevent serious injuries.
June 27, 2025
Join our expert webinar to discover essential safety control measures and best practices for engineering a truly safe and compliant industrial environment.
June 25, 2025
An innovative aircraft with electric drives combines the best of both worlds. The cross between drone and helicopter could mean significantly faster and more efficient air emergency...
June 25, 2025
Effective when other materials fail, ceramics are particularly suitable for applications requiring wear and chemical resistance, sliding characteristics or biocompatibility. Discover...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!