Analysis of a Rail Gun Plasma Accelerator

Abstract

A model is developed to study the characteristics of an arc-driven rail gun. In particular, a system of equations is developed which provides a computationally efficient method for estimating the arc-projectile acceleration and the average thermodynamic properties of the arc. Predictions of the model are compared with experimental measurements and with the results of other investigations. The model is used to determine the range of plasma conditions which can be achieved through variations of the arc mass, projectile mass and current. The possibility of using the rail gun as a plasma accelerator is discussed with particular emphasis on the range limitations imposed by plasma expansion.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1982
Accession Number
ADA114043

Entities

People

  • Jad H. Batteh

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Conductivity
  • Current Density
  • Dynamics
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Guns
  • High Temperature
  • Ionization
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Magnetic Induction
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Military Research
  • New York
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Thermodynamic Properties
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Plasma Physics.
  • ballistics.