Rocket Science

[PeteMcK]

Watching Mythbusters (best thing on teev at the moment) attempt to make rockets to launch a chair & 'Chinese philosopher' last night, they couldn't get enough exhaust pressure; when they called in the rocket experts, pressure was increased by inserting a nozzle, in this case a simple annulus.

It occurred to me that this is part of what Karlson Wings do, increase SPL by restricting the exit area, and thought it may have other applications in audio, say restricting the front of a driver with a cone that has a slot at the exit? There’s probably a price to pay in increased distortion? (May not be great for ‘Hi Fi’, but could help the Car Audio comp nuts increase their SPL? ).
It's probably able to be modelled by fluid dynamics equations.

Pete McK

[carlosfm]

Originally posted by PeteMcK
It occurred to me that this is part of what Karlson Wings do, increase SPL by restricting the exit area, and thought it may have other applications in audio, say restricting the front of a driver with a cone that has a slot at the exit? There’s probably a price to pay in increased distortion? (May not be great for ‘Hi Fi’, but could help the Car Audio comp nuts increase their SPL? ).

Put your hands around your mouth and talk loud.
That's how it will sound.

Btw I saw that program. The chair blew up in pieces, it didn't go up.
It's not that easy to make a rocket, specially with a chair.

[Mr Evil]

Now that I think of it, horn speakers are rather like rocket nozzles: They have a chamber in which force is produced, then a restrive throat, then an expanding part. Hmmm... maybe looking at rocket nozzle geometries could yield ideas for novel horns.

[AuroraB]

Yeah..... when I start moving again with another LS, maybe it will be an Atlas.... or a Tomahawk..........
or maybe a small "quickie" called Minuteman...