Apparatus for and method of accelerating a projectile through a capillary passage and projectile therefor
AssigneeGT-Devices
InventorsDerek A. Tidman, Yong C. Thio, Yeshayahu Shyke A. Goldstein
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Abstract
A high pressure plasma initially formed from a fluidizable substance in a confined region of a passage behind a projectile in the passage initially accelerates the projectile toward an open end of the passage. The plasma in the confined region is ohmically heated to a higher pressure by a discharge current flowing longitudinally through the passage and the projectile.
Claims33
Apparatus for accelerating a projectile comprising a structure having a capillary passage with a dielectric wall containing ionizable material, first and second electrodes at spaced points along the length of the passage, the projectile being positioned in the passage, one end of the passage being closed and the other end being open so that the projectile can be projected through it, means for establishing a discharge along the length of the passage between the electrodes and through the projectile for ionizing the material from the wall in front and in back of the projectile to form a high pressure region behind the projectile to accelerate the projectile along the passage and through the open end of the passage.
A method of accelerating a projectile from a capillary passage having a dielectric wall with ionizable material thereon, the projectile being initially located in the passage, one end of the passage being open and the other end being closed, comprising the steps of establishing a discharge along the length of the passage between spaced points along the length of the passage and through the projectile, the discharge causing the material to be ionized in front of and behind the projectile to form a high pressure region behind the projectile to accelerate the projectile along the passage and through the open end of the passage.
A method of accelerating a projectile from a capillary passage having:
- a closed end, an open end through which the projectile is launched, a dielectric wall surface of low atomic weight elements extending completely between said ends;
- a mass of low atomic weight ionizable and vaporizable dielectric substance in the passage behind the projectile, the method comprising the steps of ionizing and vaporizing the substance in the passage behind the projectile in response to electric energy to generate a relatively high pressure, high resistance plasma in a region of the passage behind the projectile to initiate movement of the projectile through the passage toward the open end, and after movement of the projectile has been initiated by the vaporization of the substance and while the projectile is in the passage ablating material from the wall surface past which the projectile is accelerated by ohmically heating the plasma to augment the pressure in the region behind the projectile and further accelerate the projectile along the passage and through the open end of the passage, the material ablated from the wall surface past which the projectile is accelerated being heated sufficiently by a capillary discharge in the passage along the length of the passage in back of the projectile to form additional plasma that further augments the pressure being the projectile.
Apparatus for accelerating a projectile comprising a structure having a capillary passage in which the projectile is initially positioned, one end of the capillary passage being closed and the other end being open so that the projectile can be projected though it, the passage having a dielectric wall surface of low atomic weight elements extending completely between said ends, a mass of low atomic weight ionizable and vaporizable dielectric substance in the passage behind the projectile, electric energy means for ionizing and vaporizing the substance in the passage behind the projectile to establish a high pressure, high resistance plasma in the passage behind the projectile to initiate acceleration of the projectile toward the open end, and means for ablating material from the wall surface past which the projectile is accelerated after the projectile has begun to move toward the open end by ohmically heating the plasma while the projectile is in the passage to augment the high pressure in the region behind the projectile and further accelerate the projectile along the passage and through the open end of the passage, the ablated material from the wall surface being heated sufficiently to form additional plasma that further augments the pressure behind the projectile, the means for ablating by ohmically heating including means for establishing a capillary discharge along the length of the passage past which the projectile is accelerated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.