An asynchronous free-running arc, distributed energy railgun

Experimental results comparing a breech-fed scheme and a distributed energy scheme for a free-running arc are presented. Analysis and observations of the issues associated with distributed energy switching of a plasma armature in the railgun will be explored. The use of a free running arc allows experiments to emulate a plasma armature railgun at high speeds (≫5km/s) without the requirement of a large amount of stored energy. Numerous experimental tests were conducted to investigate the dynamics of plasma armatures within a distributed energy source railgun. Variations of switch timing, bore pressure, current amplitude, and current pulse length within each stage have been tested. These data are analyzed to determine the effectiveness of a distributed energy system to suppress the plasma restrike phenomenon and increase plasma armature railgun performance.