Patent ID: 7089777

Claim:
A pneumatic testing apparatus for accelerating a mass, said apparatus comprising: a housing defining a reservoir; a cylinder having an opened proximate end and a closed distal end, said opened proximate end being positioned within said reservoir; a piston positioned in said cylinder, said piston having a first side and a second side; a shaft connected to said first side of said piston, said shaft being positioned coaxially within said cylinder and extending through said closed distal end; and an exhaust orifice located at said closed distal end, wherein the mass is positioned on the portion of said shaft extending from said distal end of said cylinder and is accelerated as a gas at a first pressure located in said reservoir enters said open proximate end of said cylinder and urges against said second side of said piston, thereby causing said piston to accelerate toward said distal end of said cylinder and simultaneously accelerate the mass.