Numerical studies of ablation and ionization of railgun materials
The intense radiation from the arc in a railgun may cause vaporization and partial ionization of rail and insulator material. The mass of material added to the arc can have a significant adverse effect on projectile velocity. A numerical model has been developed to predict the change in mass of the arc as a function of several parameters. That model has been incorporated in the Los Alamos Railgun Estimator (LARGE) code and simulations have been run to assess the accuracy of the model. Analytical predictions were found to be in good agreement with experimental data for railgun tests run at Los Alamos. Ablation appears to have a significant effect on railgun performance.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5715401
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-85-1420; CONF-851138-1; ON: DE85010741
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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