Experiments with plasma armature for railgun at zero speed

The muzzle voltage in a plasma armature railgun is an important diagnostic to analyze the station of the interface between rail and armature. This paper describes the experiments with plasma armature for railgun at zero speed. The objective of this investigation is to study the characteristic of plasma armatures with the plasma forming sets by the muzzle voltage. The plasma forming sets, made from fiberglass-epoxy slab, with the different lengths, are designed for preventing the plasma from diffusing. The system of magnetic railgun launch is also presented, including the pulse power supply, a 1 m launcher with 30 mm square bore, and the plasma armature. The results of experiments are analyzed and discussed and the further experimental studies are being continued.