Abstract
A railgun powered by a capacitor bank was developed to launch hypervelocity projectiles. The efficiency of the gun to a large extent will determine its feasibility for weapon applications. A simulation code was developed to predict the performance of the railgun. The railgun has been modelled as a time-varying impedance to determine the currents and the voltages from the power source. In the railgun circuit the currents and the voltages are of the order of hundreds of kiloamperes. Even very low impedances of the order of milli-ohm and micro-henry are substantial sources of energy losses. The measured and simulation currents at peak values agree with in 10%, validating the model. The simulation code accurately predicts the energy distribution in the system. Maximization of the projectile energy leads to improved and efficient designs. The simulation also leads to the optimized launcher pressure and payload velocity.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.