Interaction Between Plasma Piston And Railgun Electrodes

The analysis of a critical current density in a railgun in dependence on physical properties of electrode materials, parameters of railgun and plasma piston [1] shows that an efficient acceleration of a projectile is difficult to be realized without erosion of electrodes. This conclusion has been confirmed by visual studies of the electrode surfaces in the railgun accelerators and by the presence of electrode material in the plasma. The possibility of increasing critical current density and acceleration efficiency with the use of bimetallic electrodes are numerically analyzed, and the experimental results on the electrode erosion under the conditions of high-current stationary H-compressed discharge are presented.