The ELF-I augmented electromagnetic launcher

Augmenting an electromagnetic launcher barrel with one or more turns can theoretically increase the launcher system performance more than twice that of a simple EML. This is accomplished by increasing the amount of magnetic flux in the bore and thus increasing the electromagnetic accelerating force. The potential for augmented barrels had yet to be evaluated, therefore a one meter long test barrel was designed and constructed. This barrel was tested in the ELF-I electro-magnetic test facility and the results compared with the theoretically predicted performance of a simple barrel design. This comparison shows an increase in muzzle velocity of 83% for the augmented case over the simple launcher case. It was also found that the augmented barrel could be fabricated in a simple manner within the physical limitations of a conventional barrel size, and that its solid armatures provided an excellent method of achieving longer rail life, averaging 20 shots per rail set.