Accession Number:

ADA191044

Title:

Experimental Investigation of a Three-Stage Railgun Incorporating Puff-Switching,

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

MATERIALS RESEARCH LABS ASCOT VALE (AUSTRALIA)

Personal Author(s):

• Sadedin, D. R.
• Stainsby, D. F.

Report Date:

1987-05-01

Pagination or Media Count:

72.0

Abstract:

A sequence of four firings of a 2.4 m long, 10 mm square bore railgun is described and analysed. The railgun comprised an injection stage, a breech power source and second power source which was connected by a puff switch. The report deals with the puff-switching results, distribution of current in the plasma, the proportion of projectile kinetic energy due to plasma expansion forces as compared to electromagnetic forces, the correlation of rail damage with current and plasma length, and velocity limitation according to the ablation model. Keywords Railgun accelerators Electromagnetic launchers Distributed energy railgun Plasma switching Australia.

Descriptors:

• *HYPERVELOCITY GUNS
• *LORENTZ FORCE
• *PLASMA DEVICES
• *ELECTRIC GUNS
• ABLATION
• AUSTRALIA
• BREECH MECHANISMS
• CORRELATION
• DAMAGE
• DISTRIBUTION
• ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
• ELECTROMAGNETISM
• ENERGY
• FIRING TESTS(ORDNANCE)
• INJECTION
• KINETIC ENERGY
• LAUNCHERS
• LENGTH
• LIMITATIONS
• MODELS
• PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
• PLASMAS(PHYSICS)
• POWER SUPPLIES
• PROJECTILES
• RAILS
• SEQUENCES
• SWITCHING
• VELOCITY
• ELECTRONIC SWITCHING

Subject Categories:

• Electricity and Magnetism
• Guns

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE