How can recoil force be accurately measured?

[protector]

Hi

I'm interested in measuring the recoil force of a weapon.

Anyone got any ideas om how to go about doing this? I was thinking of using a load cell mounted to the weapon in the horizontal plane, but at the same time the weapon needs to operate more or less freely, which will be difficult with the weapon mounted to a load cell (not very much travel there).

I was also thinking of mounting a spring between the load cell and weapon to allow for more travel of the weapon, and this is more or less this idea I'm working on now. Will this work and give me the right measurement? Will I need to know the exact spring constant and distance traveled and do some calculations, or will the load cell reading be the correct one regardless of the spring?

 

[FredGarvin]

You don't need to know the spring constant. You are measuring the force! If you were just measuring the deflection, then you would need it.

I would say the spring is a better way to go. The only little tough part is to make sure you have something guiding and holding the weapon so that it only moves linearly. This also assumes that you know the actual path the recoil is taking, but I would think any guess to that would be pretty close and not induce too much experimental error.

 

[Doug Huffman]

Yes, measuring the force with a dynamometer is the way to go. But watch the impedance and time related values because you want the instantaneous force and that's a bit harder to get.

If you're a shooter and thinking of recoil then you need to read up on impetus and momentum and stuff.

 

[protector]

I've got a fixture to mount the weapon in making sure I get linear movement (horizontal).

 

[alphy]

There are a few different ways to measure recoil force, and the method you choose will depend on your specific goals and equipment. One option is to use a load cell, as you mentioned, which can measure the force applied to it. However, as you noted, this may limit the movement of the weapon and may not give an accurate measurement if the load cell is not properly calibrated.

Another option is to use a high-speed camera and measure the displacement of the weapon during recoil. By measuring the distance the weapon moves, you can calculate the force using Newton's second law (F=ma). This method may be more accurate and less intrusive than using a load cell.

If you do decide to use a load cell, you will need to know the spring constant and displacement of the spring in order to accurately calculate the recoil force. This information can be obtained through calibration or through mathematical calculations.

In conclusion, there are multiple ways to measure recoil force, and the most suitable method will depend on your specific needs and equipment. It is important to properly calibrate and validate your measurements to ensure accurate results.