Rail damage in a small calibre rail-gun

Results are presented of metallurgical examinations on rails from a series of firings at power source energies ranging from 30 to 150 kJ in a railgun, the current range being 70 to 170 kA with an active rail height of 6 mm. Severe damage is observed in the form of surface melting. The surface damage varies from discrete arc pits and arc tracks to general melting and an empirical description is given for possible damage mechanisms.