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.
Rail and insulator erosion in rail guns
Schienen- und Isolator-Erosion bei Schienenkanonen
IEEE Transactions on Magnetics ; 22 , 6 ; 1380-1385
1986
6 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 5 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
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