Railguns

Started by besilarius, March 01, 2012, 08:37:44 AM

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besilarius

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Barthheart

QuoteNewly released video shows the prototype railgun using an electric-powered launcher rather than gunpowder to fire a huge hypersonic bullet in a cloud of flame and smoke.

Ummm... maybe it's just me.... but why is there a "cloud of flame and smoke" if there's no gunpowder to fire the projectile?  :o
The whole point of a rail gun is there is no fire and smoke..... :P

Staggerwing

#2
EDIT:

Just found the answer.

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-02/navy-tests-32-megajoule-railgun
QuoteOne big question this video begs is, what causes the giant fireball? Rail guns are supposed to be powered solely by electricity, and don't use explosives of any kind for propellant. Babb told PopSci the answer: The flames are from pieces of the projectile disintegrating; the 7-pound slug is jammed so firmly between the rails that when it's fired, pieces shear off and ignite in the air. There's been some speculation online that the flames come from some sort of gas that's been used to increase conductivity. Wrong: The EMRG uses no secondary propellant — just electricity. As a result, the breech can remain open during firing and the gun produces no blowback whatsoever. In fact, the researchers sometimes place cameras and mirrors inside the breech during tests to get a better sense of what's going on.

That flash from the projectile hitting its target is momentary, and the paper on the target isn't burned at all afterward — just ripped and shredded from kinetic damage.
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Barthheart

Ah... ok that sounds plausable. Thanks for the link.

MIGMaster

I thought Jarhead got a rail on when he looked at certain guns  ;)

LongBlade

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Centurion40

Quote from: Staggerwing on March 01, 2012, 09:25:48 AM
EDIT:

Just found the answer.

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-02/navy-tests-32-megajoule-railgun
QuoteOne big question this video begs is, what causes the giant fireball? Rail guns are supposed to be powered solely by electricity, and don't use explosives of any kind for propellant. Babb told PopSci the answer: The flames are from pieces of the projectile disintegrating; the 7-pound slug is jammed so firmly between the rails that when it's fired, pieces shear off and ignite in the air. There's been some speculation online that the flames come from some sort of gas that's been used to increase conductivity. Wrong: The EMRG uses no secondary propellant — just electricity. As a result, the breech can remain open during firing and the gun produces no blowback whatsoever. In fact, the researchers sometimes place cameras and mirrors inside the breech during tests to get a better sense of what's going on.

That flash from the projectile hitting its target is momentary, and the paper on the target isn't burned at all afterward — just ripped and shredded from kinetic damage.

I wonder how much more effective the projectile/weapon would be without this flame-licking friction?
Any time is a good time for pie.

MIGMaster

#7
When you can slam projectiles around that fast explosives become obsolete.

LongBlade

Quote from: Centurion40 on March 09, 2012, 12:36:04 PM
I wonder how much more effective the projectile/weapon would be without this flame-licking friction?

Well, there's the rub. As I reach back to what I remember of science in school, friction is inevitable. I suspect great effort has been poured into removing as much friction from a rail gun as possible. Yet it remains there in some form.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Barthheart

Yeah... well... I always pictured rail guns as using maglev technology so there would be no friction. Maglev the projectile then use high frequency modulated magnetic forces to propel the slug out of the gun. I'm puzzled as to why there "needs" to any friction at all..... ???

Centurion40

Quote from: Barthheart on March 09, 2012, 02:26:31 PM
Yeah... well... I always pictured rail guns as using maglev technology so there would be no friction. Maglev the projectile then use high frequency modulated magnetic forces to propel the slug out of the gun. I'm puzzled as to why there "needs" to any friction at all..... ???

'Xactly!
Any time is a good time for pie.

LongBlade

Clearly ya'll need to be on that engineering team.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Centurion40

I'd need to learn how to do math first.
Any time is a good time for pie.

Barthheart

Quote from: LongBlade on March 09, 2012, 02:45:12 PM
Clearly ya'll need to be on that engineering team.

Too busy making black holes.... 8)

Martok

Quote from: Barthheart on March 09, 2012, 02:26:31 PM
Yeah... well... I always pictured rail guns as using maglev technology so there would be no friction. Maglev the projectile then use high frequency modulated magnetic forces to propel the slug out of the gun. I'm puzzled as to why there "needs" to any friction at all..... ???
I always did like the Gauss Rifle in BattleTech.  Took up a ton of space (even more than a PPC), but it was wonderfully long-range, and generated almost no heat! 



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