Plasma Injector Development and Free-Running Arc Experiments for a 7 km/s Plasma-Driven Railgun
Abstract
The objective of the Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) effort is to demonstrate 7 km/s with a plasma-driven railgun. Our principal challenge is to manage restrike arcs, which in past experiments have limited muzzle speeds to between 5 and 6 km/s. Restrike arcs are a consequence of ablation of the bore insulators. Our approach is to eliminate bore ablation by using: 1. high-purity alumina insulators to raise the ablation resistance of the bore, 2. pre-acceleration to prevent ablation of the bore materials at low velocity, and 3. magnetic augmentation to reduce power dissipation in the plasma. Each of these measures requires a dedicated hardware subsystem. In 2006, we designed and built the three subsystems and successfully tested the first two.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA474857
Entities
People
- David A. Wetz
- F. Stefani
- I. R. Mcnab
- J. V. Parker
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin