Rail gun program

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6827604· OSTI ID:6827604

Fowler, C M; Peterson, D R

Rail guns are devices that drive projectiles by electromagnetic forces. Ultimate projectile speeds therefore are not limited by hydrodynamic velocities, as is the case with conventional guns. The two-phase rail gun program is described. In both phases, explosively driven flux compression generators (FCGs) are used to supply power to the guns. In the Los Alamos phase, part of the gun itself is explosively compressed and thus serves as a second-stage FCG. Factors affecting gun performance and projectile acceleration and integrity are discussed. The first experiment in the joint phase of the programs is described. Here, a 12.7-mm lexan cube was accelerated to speed about 3 km/s in a 0.9-m-long gun by currents reaching nearly 600 kA over a time of several hundred microseconds. Although the projectile was stressed to several times its static yield strength during acceleration, it was recovered intact.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6827604
• Report Number(s): LA-8669-MS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
PROJECTILES
PROPULSION
RAILGUN ACCELERATORS
PERFORMANCE
USES
DESIGN
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
PERFORMANCE TESTING
THEORETICAL DATA
DATA
IMPACT FUSION DRIVERS
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
TESTING
420200* - Engineering- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques