Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles
Abstract
An electromagnetic railgun accelerator system, for accelerating projectiles by a plasma arc, introduces a breakdown inhibiting gas into the railgun chamber behind the accelerating projectile. The breakdown inhibiting gas, which absorbs electrons, is a halide or a halide compound such as fluorine or SF[sub 6]. The gas is introduced between the railgun rails after the projectile has passed through inlets in the rails or the projectile; by coating the rails or the projectile with a material which releases the gas after the projectile passes over it; by fabricating the rails or the projectile or insulators out of a material which releases the gas into the portions of the chamber through which the projectile has travelled. The projectile may have a cavity at its rear to control the release of ablation products. 12 figs.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 7238386
- Patent Number(s):
- 5142962
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 7-341019
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 20 Apr 1989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE; RAILGUN ACCELERATORS; DESIGN; ABLATION; BREAKDOWN; SULFUR FLUORIDES; ACCELERATORS; FLUORIDES; FLUORINE COMPOUNDS; HALIDES; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; SULFUR COMPOUNDS; 700411* - Inertial Confinement Devices- (1992-); 450000 - Military Technology, Weaponry, & National Defense
Citation Formats
Hawke, R S. Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web.
Hawke, R S. Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles. United States.
Hawke, R S. Tue .
"Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles". United States.
@article{osti_7238386,
title = {Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles},
author = {Hawke, R S},
abstractNote = {An electromagnetic railgun accelerator system, for accelerating projectiles by a plasma arc, introduces a breakdown inhibiting gas into the railgun chamber behind the accelerating projectile. The breakdown inhibiting gas, which absorbs electrons, is a halide or a halide compound such as fluorine or SF[sub 6]. The gas is introduced between the railgun rails after the projectile has passed through inlets in the rails or the projectile; by coating the rails or the projectile with a material which releases the gas after the projectile passes over it; by fabricating the rails or the projectile or insulators out of a material which releases the gas into the portions of the chamber through which the projectile has travelled. The projectile may have a cavity at its rear to control the release of ablation products. 12 figs.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992},
month = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992}
}