The SRS railgun: a new approach to restrike control

A segmented rail surface (SRS) structure is described that eliminates restrike arcs by progressively disconnecting segments of the rail surface after the plasma armature has passed. This technique has been demonstrated using the Los Alamos MIDI-2 railgun. Restrike was eliminated in a plasma armature acceleration experiment using metal-foil fuses as opening switches. A plasma velocity increase from 11 to 16 km/s was demonstrated using the SRS technique to eliminate the viscous drag losses associated with the restrike plasma. It is concluded that this technique is a practical option for a laboratory launcher at present and for future multishot launchers if appropriate switches can be developed