Advancements in the Development of a Plasma-Driven Electromagnetic Launcher

• Published in: IEEE transactions on magnetics Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 495 - 500
• Main Authors: Wetz, D.A., Stefani, F., Parker, J.V., McNab, I.R.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01-01-2009; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Ablation; Aluminum oxide; Augmentation; Boring; Ceilings; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electromagnetic launch; Electromagnetic launching; Exact sciences and technology; Hardware; hypervelocity; Insulation; Insulators; Launchers; Magnetic materials; Magnetism; Materials science; Other topics in materials science; Physics; plasma; Plasma materials processing; Power dissipation; Projectiles; railgun; Railguns; Velocity control; Military application; Electromagnetic devices; hypervelocity; Ontogenesis; Plasma; Electromagnetic launchers; Rail; railgun; Launching; Electromagnetic launch; Magnetic properties
• ISSN: 0018-9464; 1941-0069
• DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2008.2008867

The Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) is developing a plasma-driven railgun to launch low-mass projectiles of 5-10 g to a velocity in excess of 7 km/s. Accomplishing this goal requires overcoming the problem of bore ablation, which has been linked to an observed velocity ceiling of about 6 km/s in plasma-armature launchers. Bore ablation is a direct consequence of the intense heat radiated by plasma armatures. Controlling bore ablation requires a coordinated approach that includes magnetic augmentation to reduce power dissipation in the plasma, high-purity alumina insulators to raise the ablation resistance of the bore, and pre-acceleration to prevent ablation of the bore materials at low velocity. This paper describes the consequences of excessive bore ablation, the rationale for the IAT experiment, and results obtained from the hardware that has been designed and tested to date.