A persistent problem in rail guns is the erosion of rails and insulators, particularly near the breech. This is especially pronounced after multiple firings. Systematic experiments have been conducted using a 60 cm test bed facility designed for materials studies. Current waveforms characteristic of the early time for rail guns of 3-5 meters have been applied to the system using metal foil for the in-bore switch. The coupling of the resultant metallic plasma into the rail, the rail and insulator material removed, and the depth of rail surface melting have been determined as a function of position, local current density, and in-bore projectile speed.


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    Title :

    Rail and insulator erosion in rail guns


    Additional title:

    Schienen- und Isolator-Erosion bei Schienenkanonen


    Contributors:
    Askew, R.F. (author) / Chin, B.A. (author) / Tatarchuk, B.J. (author)

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    1986


    Size :

    6 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 5 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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