NDLI: Experimental Results on a 7-m-Long Plasma-Driven Electromagnetic Launcher

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Wetz, D.A. Stefani, F. McNab, I.R.
Copyright Year	1973
Abstract	The Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) at The University of Texas at Austin has been conducting research aimed at achieving muzzle velocities in excess of 7 km/s using a plasma-driven electromagnetic launcher. Plasma-driven railguns are susceptible to bore effects that limit muzzle speeds to about 6 km/s. The velocity ceiling is believed to be the result of the viscous drag of material ablated from the bore of the launcher. Ablation of bore materials, especially the insulators, is caused by the intense heat radiated by plasma armatures, especially at low speeds. The experiments reported in this paper are focused on overcoming the velocity ceiling of 6 km/s. A proof-of-principle experiment has been designed to launch 5-10 g polycarbonate projectiles to muzzle velocities in excess of 7 km/s with modest acceleration loads of 500 kG. Our approach to controlling bore ablation involves the following elements: (1) using magnetic augmentation to reduce power dissipation in the plasma; (2) using high-purity alumina insulators to raise the ablation resistance of the bore; (3) using pre-acceleration to prevent ablation of the bore materials at low velocity; and (4) using a synchronously driven distributed power supply to electrically isolate stages. This paper describes the consequences of excessive bore ablation, the rationale for the IAT experiment, and the results obtained during testing in 2009.
Sponsorship	IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
Starting Page	180
Ending Page	185
Page Count	6
File Size	1002451
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00933813
Volume Number	39
Issue Number	1
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2011-01-01
Publisher Place	U.S.A.
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Electromagnetic launching Boring Plasma materials processing Plasma accelerators Magnetic materials Railguns Drag Conducting materials Insulation Projectiles railgun Electromagnetic launch (EML) hypervelocity plasma
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Nuclear and High Energy Physics Condensed Matter Physics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

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