July 14th, 2019 : Bada Boom, Big Bada Boom

[xoxoxoBruce]

Jaigarh Fort is located on a hill towering over the Amer Palace. The hill is called the Cheel Ka Teela (the Hill of the Eagle). From Jaigarh, one has an eagle eye view of the surrounding countryside. Jaigarh Fort held the treasures of the royal family of the Maharaja of Jaipur, in the form of a massive gold bullion.
In 1973, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered all the gold to be transported to New Delhi and be turned over to the Indian Government. What happened to it thereafter, God only knows. Only these fortifications remain as a witness to the days of glory many many years ago.

Jaigarh Fort is the only fort in India that houses its own cannon factory. The art and craft of cannon making was brought to India by the Mughals. The Maharaja of Jaipur, having collaborated his forces with the Mughals, learned cannon making and built a cannon factory at Jaigarh.
This factory has produced some massive cannons, of which the most famous one is Jaivana - the largest wheeled cannon in the world! Jaivana was cast and forged in 1720 in the Jaigarh fort itself. The barrel has floral design. An elephant rests on the tip of the barrel and a pair of peacocks are carved in the center. The two thick rings on the barrel were used for lifting it with the help of a crane which, though incomplete, is still lying in Jaigarh. A pair of ducks also decorates the rear of the barrel. The barrel of the cannon weighs 50 tonnes. The carriage weighs a lot more! It was rumoured that it took four elephants to turn the cannon around.

The length of the barrel of the cannon is 6.15 m (20.2 ft). The circumference near the tip of the barrel is 2.2 m (7.2 ft) and that of the rear is 2.8 m (9.2 ft). The diameter of the bore of the barrel is 28 cm (11 in) and the thickness of the barrel at the tip is 21.6 cm (8.5 in). The thickness gradually increases as one moves towards the rear of the barrelA 776-millimetre-long (30.6 in) elevating screw was used for raising and lowering the barrel. Jaivan rests on a high two-wheeled carriage. The wheels are 1.37 m (4.5 ft) in diameter. The carriage is equipped with two removable additional wheels for transport. The removable wheels are 2.74 m (9.0 ft) in diameter.

About 100 kg (220 lb) of gunpowder fired a shot ball weighing 50 kg (110 lb).
The uses and range of the cannon and cannonballs vary over different sources.
The Jaivana Cannon was only fired once by the Jai Singh II, as a test-fire in 1720. The most exaggerated myth claims that the weapon had a range of 40 km (25 mi), other sources say it is 35, 22 and 11 km (6.8 mi), although the exact range could perhaps never be determined without adequate scientific computation.

From work done by Dr.A.R.Collins on the ballistics of smooth bore cannons and historical data of cannon ranges and muzzle velocities, plus taking into account the likely inferior quality of the non-corned black powder propellant of the period, the highest probably muzzle velocity would be around 1500 to 1700 feet/second. This would give a maximum ballistic range of around 5000 yards to 3 miles.

I guess it's like the Atomic Bomb, you just have to demonstrate it once and rumors will do the rest.

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[sexobon]

The real test would be to shoot Wile E. Coyote out of it and see if he can catch the Road Runner.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Not a chance, the gun would roll back and crush you while Wile smashed into a painted tunnel. Meep Meep

[Griff]

That's quite a show piece. I'd say you're right, the rumors are far more useful than the weapon.

[blueboy56]

Reminds me of the thing that was used to do my prostate biopsy.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You mean they didn't use an eggbeater in yours?