X-ray diagnostics for the single shot laboratory gun

The projectile packages being fired out of the 90-mm single shot gun at the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin (CEM-UT) have evolved into designs consisting of rods capable of penetrating armor. Throughout the evolution of these penetrating projectiles, high-speed flash X-rays of the package in flight have proven invaluable in determining the integrity of the entire launch package. The flash X-ray system installed in the vertical gun range at CEM-UT consists of two pairs of orthogonal view X-ray heads and a single head station. One pair, located at the muzzle, of the gun is used to verify package integrity as the projectile exits the gun. The other pair is located in the target chamber at the bottom of the vertical gun range and is used to determine the projectile entry angle. The single head will be located below the target and used to determine the debris pattern associated with the penetration. The two pairs of X-rays are very useful in determining an accurate velocity of the projectile. Data from both the muzzle and target X-ray systems as well as a method for reliably triggering these systems are presented