On the design of an integrated metal armature and sabot for railguns

Proper design of a solid metal armature and sabot is critical to obtain optimal railgun performance and to reduce rail wear. Previous armature designs only considered bulk ohmic heating and static mechanical design of the armature. This report discusses the extension of the analysis of armature heating to include thermal heating induced by sliding friction at the armature-rail interface, and the experiments performed to evaluate the simplified armature design model. The implications of results on the development of armature design models are also discussed.