In-Bore Acceleration Measurements of an Electromagnetic Gun Launcher

Abstract

The US Army Research Laboratory has been involved in the design and implementation of electromagnetic gun technology for the past several years. One of the primary factors of this research is an accurate assessment of in-bore structural loads on the launch projectiles. This assessment is essential for the design of mass-efficient launch packages for electromagnetic guns. If not properly accounted for, projectile failure can result. In order to better understand the magnitude of the in-bore loads, a data-recorder was integrated with an armature and on-board payload that included tri-directional accelerometers and magnetic field sensors. Several packages were launched from an electromagnetic railgun located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Substantial effort was placed on soft-catching the rounds in order to facilitate data recovery. Analysis of the recovered data provided acceleration and magnetic field data acquired during the launch event.