Why ring welts?

[FinchMan]

I never really thought of this before, but why do we get ring welts from paintballs, and not solid welts? What makes them rings?

[Dayspring]

Look in Deep Blue. There's a thread that explains this EXACT phenomenon.

[SpitFire1299]

Generally..

The center of the paintball forces its energy to the outsides on impact. Then the energy of the outsides is transfered onto the sides. :D

The paintballs that hit you and dont break hurt because the impact is worse.

[hitech]

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107440

:cheers:

[slade]

i always assumed it was the shell. the shell is really what causes the most impact/mark, and geometrically the concentration of the shell, or the surface of the sphere, will be greatest (when compressed from 3 to 2 dimensions) in a ring.

[FinchMan]

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107440

:cheers:

ahhah, thankyou!

I didn't think to look in deep blue for a question about ringwelts. But the discussion in that thread is hilarious.

[doc_Zox]

check out this freeze frame:
http://premium1.uploadit.org/docZox//splat2.jpg

[punkncat]

Think about it like this.

Have you ever tried to bounce an almost flat basketball?

When you do the one side dents in and the edges actually stop the ball. Well in essence when you are hit with a paintball the leading edge has the least support and dents in transferring some of its force to the edge. Being on the edge it has more support from the arch of the paintball behind it and from the circle shape (think of the basketball) its in. At that point its as strong as it can be right before shattering and is transfering the majority of its energy to the smallest surface area, those edges. Thus you are left with the welt from the ring of the sphere of paintball.