Projectile oscillations in augmented rail guns

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5537805

Hodgdon, M L; Fowler, C M; Homan, C G

The projectile in an inductive store-powered rail gun, augmented by an external magnetic field, will oscillate under certain conditions. This behavior is easily understood when there is no resistance in the circuit comprising the storage coil, rails and armature. In this case, the flux in the complete circuit is conserved. However, as the projectile moves down the rails, more flux from the augmenting field is picked up. This must be accompanied by a decrease in current in the system to conserve the total flux. At a certain distance down the rails, the current must reverse to conserve the flux, and thus the force on the projectile reverses. This mechanism leads to oscillation of the projectile. An analytic solution is given for the case in which the resistance is zero.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA); Watervliet Arsenal, NY (USA). Benet Weapons Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5537805
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-86-2268; CONF-860703-3; ON: DE86012423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420200* -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
ACCELERATORS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OSCILLATIONS
PROJECTILES
RAILGUN ACCELERATORS