Preliminary Experimental Design and Theoretical Investigation of a Plasma Implosion Driven Mass Accelerator
Abstract
The basic idea that motivated this research effort is the prospect that a series of time z-pinch plasma implosions could be used to sequentially propel a projectile to high velocities. Such a process would provide a new type of electrically driven gun with the potential for achieving projectile velocities well above those attainable by chemical guns. The concept in its earliest form appears to have the attractive feature of being potentially rep-ratable. The current flows axially along sections of the accelerator instead of perpendicular to the projectile path as in a rail gun, i.e., plasma pressure propels the projectile, not the jxB force. The primary objective of this research was to design a test module which, if built, could be used to investigate the effectiveness of such z-pinch implosions for projectile propulsion. Other objectives were to examine background experimental information on z-pinch implosions and to explore a range of parameters using a lumped- parameter computer model for the implosions and their driving circuits.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA103155
Entities
People
- D. A. Tidman
- S. A. Goldstein