Testing of a homopolar generator, energy storage inductor, opening-switch railgun system

The first homopolar-fired railgun system was operated in Canberra in 1972 [1,2]. Since that time two additional systems have been tested, the EMACK homopolar generator (HPG) built by Westinghouse and operated by Army Research and Development Center (ARDC) [3] and the joint effort by The Center for Electromechanics of The University of Texas (CEM-UT) and General Dynamics in 1982 [4]. This paper describes the homopolar railgun system operated by CEM-UT in 1985. The aspect that makes this system different from the previous experiments is the design of a fast opening switch (10 to 20 µs) that will allow operation of the HPG into hypervelocity launchers.