Armature electromagnetism

Summary form only given. The authors have developed a detailed lumped element description of the distributed plasma armature based on a knowledge of the armature current density distribution. They have also developed a novel technique to deconvolve the rail B-dot signals to determine the armature current density. Combining this model, other experimental measurements, and derived current density, they have determined the voltage gradient along the armature, the armature conductivity, and the Lorentz force distribution. They have suggested hypotheses regarding the development of secondary arcs, primary armature separation, and armature elongation. They have proposed a new measurement technique to facilitate the calculation of the armature conductivity.