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Water gun

arts Maturity 5-7 Next article →

A water gun is a toy designed to shoot jets of water at a target.

The girls fight with water cannons!
The girls fight with water cannons!

People use these devices for recreational games, such as water fights. The primary goal is to soak another person during play. These toys are known by many names, including water pistols, water blasters, or squirt guns. They are valued for providing outdoor fun and bringing people together. Because they are toys, they come in many different shapes and colors.

Early water guns were very simple in their mechanical design. The oldest manufactured models used a rubber squeeze bulb. A user would draw water into the bulb and then squeeze it to force water through a nozzle. This method relied entirely on the user's hand strength to create pressure. Another common design used a trigger-based pumping mechanism similar to a spray bottle. This device uses a positive displacement pump shaft and two check valves. These valves often use small ball bearings to control the flow. The pump draws fluid from a reservoir and forces it out through the nozzle. This design is very cheap to manufacture because the body of the toy acts as the reservoir.

water gun principle
water gun principle

Some toys use a syringe or piston-type system to move water. This mechanism consists of an outer pump shaft and an inner pump-rod with a water-tight seal. When the user extends the pump, water is drawn inside. When the user compresses the pump, the water is ejected. The strength of the water stream depends on how hard the user pushes. Some models, like the Super Soaker Power Soaker Jr., must be filled from a bucket. Other models, such as the Water Warriors Steady Stream, include a reservoir for better portability. There are also piston pumpers, which are larger devices that use a back-and-forth motion instead of a trigger.

During the 1980s, motorized water guns became very popular. Companies like Entertech and Larami created models that looked like guns from movies. These devices used a small motor and a crankshaft. The motor converted rotary motion into a forward-and-backward pumping motion. This removed the need for the user to manually pump the device. However, these motorized blasters had some drawbacks. They used batteries very quickly and were often considered a lower class of toy. Their realistic styling also caused problems. After some models were mistaken for real firearms by police, new rules were created in the United States. These rules require many water guns to be made of clear or tinted transparent plastic.

Modern high-performance water guns often use air pressure to function.

water gun principle
water gun principle

In an air pressurized reservoir system, a pump forces air into a partially filled water tank. The tank is air-tight, except for a valve used by the pump and a valve controlled by the user. As more air is pumped in, the air becomes compressed. This compressed air puts pressure on the water. When the user opens the nozzle, the pressurized air pushes the water out. This system allows the user to store energy and create a continuous, uniform stream. One limitation is that these guns cannot be refilled unless they are first emptied and depressurized.

Other advanced designs use a separate pressure or firing chamber. This technology was used on the Super Soaker SS 100. Instead of pressurizing the whole reservoir, the pump forces air into a small, fixed volume chamber. This allows the user to refill the water reservoir at any time without losing pressure. Some versions use a split air and water pressure chamber. This design uses a sliding plunger to keep the compressed air and the water separate. This prevents the air from escaping accidentally, which means the user does not have to pump as often to maintain pressure. Other models use a rubber diaphragm, which is a stretchy bladder that expands as water is pumped in.

There are even more unique ways to move water in these toys. Some use metal springs to act as a catapult or a capacitor. The Water Warriors Steady Stream uses a spring to help create a constant stream if the user pumps quickly. Other models use peristaltic pumps, like the Mattel Shield Blaster. A peristaltic pump uses rollers that move along a piece of flexible tubing. As the rollers move, they push the water forward. While this can create a smooth stream if pumped fast, there are tiny gaps in the flow caused by the rollers. From simple bulbs to complex air chambers, water guns show many ways to use physics for play.

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File:The girls fight with water cannons!.jpg
The girls fight with water cannons!.jpg
File:Water guns (15277272649).jpg
Water guns (15277272649).jpg
File:water_gun_principle.svg
water_gun_principle.svg
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