Experimental Observations and Analysis of Armatures and Rails in a Small Railgun

Barrel life is probably the most important obstacle to the fielding of a railgun weapon. This paper reports the use of profile measurements, optical micrographs, hardness tests, and SEM scans to analyze the effects of aluminum armatures sliding down copper-chromium alloy rails at speeds up to 600 m/s. Data are reported for peak currents of about 14 kA/mm of bore size. Sections of rails and armatures were examined after several shots. Copper-aluminum alloys were found on the rails, and strong evidence of localized melting is found in the interior surface regions of armatures moving at maximum speeds ap 150 m/s.