Please help me with this physics related problem

[Gooseman]

Hi everyone,
Here is a picture describing my problem..
http://www.pbase.com/image/20344544

Basically, it's the firing mechanism for a toygun.
When the trigger is pulled, the hammer flies forward and hits the firing pin. The firing pin then flies forward and hits the button.

I came up with a better design but i need to verify if it's actually better or not. Also, would like some suggestions on even better designs.

LIMITATIONS:

Basically, the position of the hammer's axis of rotation cannot be modified. Nor can the position of the firing pin or the button.
The shape of the hammer and the shape of the firing pin can be modified. The shape of the button cannot.


thanks for the help!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Gooseman
Hi everyone,
Here is a picture describing my problem..
http://www.pbase.com/image/20344544

Basically, it's the firing mechanism for a toygun.
When the trigger is pulled, the hammer flies forward and hits the firing pin. The firing pin then flies forward and hits the button.

I came up with a better design but i need to verify if it's actually better or not. Also, would like some suggestions on even better designs.

LIMITATIONS:

Basically, the position of the hammer's axis of rotation cannot be modified. Nor can the position of the firing pin or the button.
The shape of the hammer and the shape of the firing pin can be modified. The shape of the button cannot.


thanks for the help!

How do you define better? From what I see, we may be in trouble. It looks like your new mechanism will tend to bind at the firing pin. Also, you are sacrificing torque for speed. This may or may not be a good thing. What do you hope to achieve by relocating the strike point higher along the hammer?

 

[Gooseman]

The goal is to achieve maximum force on the button. I'm willing to sacrifice speed. I wasn't aware of the binding portion.. I'll have to take that into account when desiging the firing pin..

I was hoping to achieve more force on the firing pin (and thus the button) by moving the strike point higher along the hammer..

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Gooseman
The goal is to achieve maximum force on the button. I'm willing to sacrifice speed. I wasn't aware of the binding portion.. I'll have to take that into account when desiging the firing pin..

I was hoping to achieve more force on the firing pin (and thus the button) by moving the strike point higher along the hammer..

Can you put a stronger spring in the hammer mechanism?

 

[LURCH]

I think that extension on the firing pin is going to break after relatyively few uses.

 

[Gooseman]

Originally posted by Gooseman
The goal is to achieve maximum force on the button. I'm willing to sacrifice speed. I wasn't aware of the binding portion.. I'll have to take that into account when desiging the firing pin..

I was hoping to achieve more force on the firing pin (and thus the button) by moving the strike point higher along the hammer..

yes, you can.. but aside from adding a stronger hammer spring. What else can be done. Perhaps that is really all there can be done.. I just need to design a better firing pin that takes advantage of the higher forces generated at the top of the hammer. One that doesn't break after few uses :)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Gooseman
yes, you can.. but aside from adding a stronger hammer spring. What else can be done. Perhaps that is really all there can be done.. I just need to design a better firing pin that takes advantage of the higher forces generated at the top of the hammer. One that doesn't break after few uses :)

Really you have two problems: Binding, and leverage as indicated by Lurch. So like you have said, you will have to design around this. Really though I would look to the spring as part of the solution. How about going with some kind of slide action rather than a rotating lever?

Hey, this is just for paintball or something similar right?

 

[LURCH]

Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
How about going with some kind of slide action rather than a rotating lever?

The same thought had crossed my mind. If you placed a two-part lever arm, with a hinge at the joint between the two parts, you could anchor one end of the arm to a stationary piece of the gun, and the other end to the top of the hammer. When the hammer is cocked back, the lever is bent at the hinge in the middle ( < ), and when the hammer springs forward, the lever is straitened out ( / ). Place a striker at the hinged joint, and this will be moved forward with all the force of the end of the hammer, but in the location where the firing pin currently sits. This will illiminate the need to extend and bend the firing pin, which would greatly weaken it.

Come to think of it, the leverage of the hinged joint could even multiply the speed of the hammer, depending on the placement of the stationary end.

 

[cytokinesis]

The problem I see with that idea, Lurch, is that as the joint moves about, there will be length variations which will need to be accounted for.

 

[cytokinesis]

Wait, no sorry, upon re-reading your description of the design I realized you weren't saying what I thought you were saying. My bad.