Numerical predictions of railgun performance including the effects of ablation and arc drag
Thermal radiation from plasma armatures in railguns may cause vaporization and partial ionization of the rail and insulator materials. This causes an increase in mass of the arc, which has an adverse effect on projectile velocity. Viscous drag on the arc also has a deleterious effect, particularly at high velocities. Simulations were performed and numerical results were compared with experimental data for a wide range of test performed at the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, the Ling Temco Vought Aerospace and Defense Company, and the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin. The effects of ablation and arc drag on railgun performance are discussed. Some strategies for reducing the effects of ablation are proposed.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
- OSTI ID:
- 5732625
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Trans. Magn.; (United States), Vol. MAG-22:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
COMPUTER CODES
RAILGUN ACCELERATORS
ABLATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DRAG
ARMATURES
DATA ANALYSIS
ELECTRICAL INSULATION
IONIZATION
LASL
PERFORMANCE
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
THERMAL INSULATION
ACCELERATORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SIMULATION
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
420800* - Engineering- Electronic Circuits & Devices- (-1989)
990220 - Computers
Computerized Models
& Computer Programs- (1987-1989)