The Physics of Shot Towers

Abstract

In the late 18th and throughout the 19th century, lead shot for muskets was prepared by use of a shot tower. Molten lead was poured from the top of a tower and, during its fall, the drops became spherical under the action of surface tension. In this article, we ask and answer the question: How does the size of the lead shot depend on the height of the tower? In the process, we explain the basic technology underlying an important historical invention (the shot tower) and use simple physics (Newtonian mechanics and the thermodynamic laws of cooling) to model its operation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA560039

Entities

People

  • Carl E. Mungan
  • Trevor C. Lipscombe

Organizations

  • United States Naval Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Resistance
  • Boiling Point
  • Computer Simulations
  • Conduction (Heat Transfer)
  • Convection
  • Cooling
  • Differential Equations
  • Energy
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Loss
  • Heat Of Fusion
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Transfer Coefficients
  • Latent Heat
  • Physics
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • United States Naval Academy

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.