Paintball having reduced drag

Abstract

A paintball comprising a thin-walled capsule filled with paint, wherein the surface of the capsule is formed as a polyhedron, for example, a dodecahedron. The angled surface faces of the polyhedron cause turbulent air flow over a greater percentage of the paintball surface than in a prior art smooth, spherical paintball. The air flow thus remains “attached” over more of the paintball surface, thereby reducing form drag of the paintball. An added benefit of a paintball formed in accordance with the invention is that the structure includes a plurality of intrafacial edges which are currently believed to be preferred lines of impact breakage of the paintball.

1 . A paintball for discharge from a paintball gun, comprising: 
 a) a semi-rigid shell defining a closed chamber; and    b) a material charge contained within said chamber,    wherein said shell is formed in a shape defining a closed polyhedron on at least the outer surface thereof, said polyhedron comprising a plurality of faces intersecting at a plurality of interfacial edges.    
     
     
         2 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said faces are selected from the group consisting of planar, convex outwards, concave outwards, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said plurality of faces is identical.  
     
     
         4 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said plurality of faces is non-identical.  
     
     
         5 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said polyhedron is selected from the group consisting of buckyball, triacontahedron, pentagonal dodecahedron, icosahedron, hexakisoctahedron, triakisoctahedron, icositetrahedron, octahedron, cube, hexakistetrahedron, tetrahedron, deltoid dodecahedron, diakisdodecahedron, pentagonal icositetrahedron, tetrahedral pentagonal dodecahedron, deltoid dodecahedron, trigonal dipyramid, tetragonal dipyramid, and rhombohedron.  
     
     
         6 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  further comprising at least one internal septum dividing said chamber into at least first and second sub-chambers.  
     
     
         7 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 6  further comprising at least first and second material charges disposed in said first and second sub-chambers, respectively.  
     
     
         8 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 7  wherein said first and second charges are identical in composition.  
     
     
         9 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 7  wherein said first and second charges are non-identical in composition.  
     
     
         10 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the aerodynamic form drag of said paintball is at least 25% less than the aerodynamic form drag of an unfeatured prior art paintball.  
     
     
         11 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the manufactured shape of said shell is aerodynamically deformable during firing and flight of said paintball from a firing means.  
     
     
         12 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 1  further comprising false molding marks on the surface thereof.  
     
     
         13 . A paintball in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the false molding marks are positioned on the interfacial edges.