Controlling Chamber Expansion in Miniature Electrothermal Guns for Increased Velocity and Efficiency
Abstract
The performance of an electrothermal research gun capable of firing small projectiles of less than 1 g at velocities over 3000 m/s was significantly increased to nearly 4000 m/s by controlling chamber expansion. The gun is powered via a high-voltage electrical discharge up to 20 kV and 38 kJ, evaporating a copper electrode and creating pressure in the breech to propel the projectile. A reduction in insulator volume in the chamber, thus reducing the potential for expansion in the breech region, resulted in a velocity increase of an additional 15 over previous gains attained by barrel hardening alone. The multiphysics code ALEGRA was used in design and characterization, and agrees very well with experimental results obtained via Photon Doppler Velocimetry and high-speed video measurements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1075761
Entities
People
- Matthew J. Coppinger
- Paul Berning
- Peter Bartkowski
- W. C. Uhlig
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory