Experimental results from CEM-UT´s single shot 9 MJ railgun

A 10-m-long, 90-mm bore railgun has been designed and fabricated. During the test program, a number of solid armatures and projectile packages have been tested in a 50-m-deep vertical test range. The experiments are powered by six homopolar generator (HPG) charged inductive stores, sequentially staged to provide the desired acceleration profile. Prior to testing, computer simulations are run to determine the preferred current profile and predict system performance. During projectile flight, high-speed films, X-rays, muzzle volts, and velocity/acceleration profiles are recorded along with power supply operating parameters. Postshot diagnostics include bore wear analysis and armature and target recovery. Comparisons of predicted and recorded shot performance are also made. On selected tests, an energy balance is performed to determine efficiencies of the various components. A summary of all 90-mm gun shots is presented along the critical data collected from selected tests