Results of railgun experiments powered by magnetic flux compression generators
Abstract
Small-bore (12.7 mm) and large-bore (50 mm) railguns powered by magnetic flux compression generators have been designed and constructed under a research and development program aimed at exploring the potential of electromagnetic railguns to accelerate projectiles to hypervelocities. The design of the guns is briefly described, the diagnostic and data reduction techniques are discussed, and the results of experiments are examined in detail. It is shown that plasma arcs could be stably maintained at megampere currents without evacuation of the launcher. Projectiles survived in-bore acceleration stresses of more than an order of magnitude greater than their elastic strength and showed no signs of catastrophic erosion or significant drag. Some useful dielectrics have been identified.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
- Pub Date:
- January 1982
- DOI:
- 10.1109/TMAG.1982.1061804
- Bibcode:
- 1982ITM....18...82H
- Keywords:
-
- Electric Generators;
- Electromagnetic Acceleration;
- Gun Launchers;
- Hypervelocity Projectiles;
- Performance Tests;
- Railgun Accelerators;
- Data Reduction;
- Design Analysis;
- Flight Tests;
- Linear Accelerators;
- Magnetic Flux;
- Plasma Jets;
- Power Conditioning;
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering