Armature formation in a railgun using a two-stage light-gas gun injector

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/27.32245· OSTI ID:5866712

Hawke, R S; Susoeff, A R; Asay, J R; Hall, C A; Konrad, C H; Hickman, R J; Sauve, J L

During the past decade several research groups have tried to achieve reliable acceleration of projectiles to velocities in excess of 8 km/s by using a railgun. All attempts have met with difficulties. However, in the past four years the researchers have come to agree on the nature and causes of the difficulties. The consensus is that the hot plasma armature - used to commutate across the rails and to accelerate the projectile - causes ablation of the barrel wall; this ablation ultimately results in parasitic secondary arc formation through armature separation and/or restrike. The subsequence deprivation of current to the propulsion armature results in a limit to the achievable projectile velocity. Methods of mitigating the process are under study. One method uses a two-stage light-gas gun as a preaccelerator/injector to the railgun. The gas gun serves a double purpose: It quickly accelerates the projectile to a high velocity, and it fills the barrel behind the propulsive armature with insulating gas. While this approach is expected to improve railgun performance, it also requires development of techniques to form the propulsive armature behind the projectile in the high-velocity, high-pressure gas stream. This paper briefly summarizes the problems encountered in attempts to achieve hypervelocities with a railgun. Included is a description of the phenomenology and details of joint Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (SNLA/LNLL) work at SNLA on a method for forming the needed plasma armature.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Ktech Corp., Albuquerque, NM (USA); EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5866712
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States), Vol. 17:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
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RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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HOT PLASMA
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY
PLASMA GUNS
PROJECTILES
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