Prevention of breakdown behind railgun projectiles

Patent · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:7238386

Hawke, R S

An electromagnetic railgun accelerator system, for accelerating projectiles by a plasma arc, introduces a breakdown inhibiting gas into the railgun chamber behind the accelerating projectile. The breakdown inhibiting gas, which absorbs electrons, is a halide or a halide compound such as fluorine or SF[sub 6]. The gas is introduced between the railgun rails after the projectile has passed through inlets in the rails or the projectile; by coating the rails or the projectile with a material which releases the gas after the projectile passes over it; by fabricating the rails or the projectile or insulators out of a material which releases the gas into the portions of the chamber through which the projectile has travelled. The projectile may have a cavity at its rear to control the release of ablation products. 12 figs.

• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
• Patent Number(s): A; US 5142962
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-341019
• OSTI ID: 7238386
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450000 -- Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700411* -- Inertial Confinement Devices-- (1992-)
ABLATION
ACCELERATORS
BREAKDOWN
DESIGN
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
RAILGUN ACCELERATORS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR FLUORIDES