EXPERIENTIAL OUTREACH and SHARED STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES IN SUPPORT OF RAILGUN LAB DEVELOPMENT at the US NAVAL
Abstract
The following section gives an overview of the topics that will be covered as part of the outreach from VT to USNA. 1. PLANNING AND ESTABLISHING NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTUREThe ECSL will share their experience in preparing a laboratory space for railgun research." Examples include: utility requirements (3--~phase electricity, water, vacuum, etc.), layout, safety areas for high velocity proje""ctile firing and high voltages, minimum equipment, workstations and workshop equipment.2. ROADBLOCKS, CHALLENGES, LESSONS LEARNED""Dr. Odendaal will share general recommendations as well as the challenges, lessons learned, hurdles, stumbling blocks that he had to" overcome to reach the goals of the ECSL.3. SAFETY PROCEDURES AND SAFETY MANUALSafety is an essential component of developing and operating a high voltage electromagnetic launcher with undergraduate midshipmen. It is essential that safety considerations be carefully included in the planning process from the beginning of the project. Dr. Odendaal will also share his experience developing a s"afe environment, i.e. working with safety regulations, personnel training, and preparing safety manuals and procedures.4. GROUNDING"" AND SHIELDINGThe electrical system is complex and is comprised of not only HV electronics, but also control signals, measurement a""nd data lines, power supplies, actuator circuits, microcontrollers, etc. Proper grounding must be planned from the start of the prog""ram not just to protect the system from faults, but also as a safety consideration.5. CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUESElectrical"" isolation is highly desirable between the HV area (where the launcher and PFN, or Pulse Forming Network, is located) and the contro"l area where human operators are located. A railgun system for laboratory experiments requires numerous types of measurements. For" example, besides voltages and currents, energy, velocities, forces, dimensions down to micron resolution, bore degradation, torques"", among others. Dr. Odendaal and his students will share how they approached these issues in the ECSL EML.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 09, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712302
Entities
People
- Willem Odendaal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Virginia Tech