Analysis of experimental data from a 50-mm railgun driven by a 5-MJ capacitor power supply

The Compact High Energy Capacitor Module Advanced Test Experiment (CHECMATE) barrel coupled with a 5-MJ capacitor power supply has become a primary testbed for conducting armature research CHECMATE is a nominal 50-mm square-bore EM launcher that is 5 m in length. Recent testing on this hardware was conducted using molybdenum coated rails, G-9 insulators, and a plasma armature. Eight firings were performed at various charge voltages and with various power supply triggering schemes. Muzzle velocities achieved with the 93-g projectile ranged from 3.6 to 4.2 km/s. The analysis performed on this test series is summarized. The primary focus of this analysis was to identify and assess the potential mechanisms which lead to performance degradation at high velocities. Results presented indicate that the Electric Gun Circuit Analysis Code (EGCAC) demonstrates good agreement with experimental B-dot data up to approximately 3.5 km/s; however, on the higher voltage shots, EGCAC overpredicts the expected velocity.>