Abstract
The two derivations of the equation of motion for the plasma armature - projectile system in a railgun are reviewed. Although they describe the same kinematical system, it is shown that they yield conflicting descriptions for the action - reaction forces over the plasma armature. The two inductances per unit length for the equations of motion are then given for the case in which the rail and current distributions are in the form of infinitesimally thin sheets and are shown to be different, although for a RAPID railgun this difference is not significant. Next, the lumped-parameter version of the railgun equation of motion is shown to be incapable of explaining anomalous effects occurring in the plasma armature, which have been observed in railgun firings, whereas no such problem arises with the MHD version. Finally, sufficient conditions under which the equations yield equivalent results are given, though these may not be realized in most railgun applications. .
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