Electromagnetic Railgun Internship Abstract
- 1. Marjorie Ellen Ferrone 19 August 2012 MEMORANDUM From: MIDN 3/C Ferrone (152118) To: Associate Director of Research and Scholarship for Internships & Technology Transfer Via: (1) Associate Professor Andrew Neil Smith, Mechanical Engineering Department (2) Assistant Professor Luksa Luznik, Division Internship Coordinator Subj: ELECTROMAGNETIC RAILGUN INTERNSHIP, SUMMER 2012 Ref: (a) COMDTMIDN/ACDEANINST 1531.73A A. Information: 1. Internship details: Location: Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) – Plasma Physics Division Dates: 25 June – 20 July 2012 Host Mentor’s full name: Dr. Robert Meger Host Mentor’s professional title: Head of the Charged Particle Physics Branch Host Mentor’s contact information: meger@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-0332 USNA Faculty Point of Contact for the internship: Professor Andrew Neil Smith B. Research: 1. Title of Project: Rail and Armature Wear of the Electromagnetic Railgun 2. Abstract: The purpose of this research was to test which armature (projectile) design best upheld its structure’s integrity while creating the least wear on the inner conducting rails of the Railgun. The less the contact point on the outer face of the armature wore, the better contact it would maintain with the rails throughout flight in the “barrel” of the gun. This produced less magnetic arcing and increased efficiency of the Lorentz forces. The less the rails wore, the more rounds could be successfully fired. It was determined that the most efficient armature design is composed of certain materials which simultaneously upholds its own structure and that of the rails, producing a more efficient gun. 3. Approach: I was the only midshipmen working on the Railgun, though there were four other interns ranging from rising sophomores in high school to rising seniors in college. We worked together to turn over (clean) the catch tank after every shot and maintain the gun properly.
- 2. Marjorie Ellen Ferrone 4. My Contributions to the Project: As part of the group of interns, I contributed to the maintenance and research of the Railgun. Some of the maintenance jobs I completed include: sanding the G-10 Fiberglass Tees to search for fragmentation after a ten-shot run, turning over the flight capture tank by removing pulverized targets and inserting a new target after each shot, assembling new targets to keep a consistent supply, replacing the air-tight film in the flight tube, assisting to dismantle the Railgun and replace the parallel conducting rails, video-recording the barrel of the gun to analyze rail wear-progression, and running the X-Ray machine to capture pictures of the armature mid-flight. During the latter two weeks, I assisted Dr. Scott Douglass with his research. My assignment was to approximate the wear on the armature legs. By using geometric shapes on Power Point, I compared each mid-flight X-Ray of a worn armature to its original outline. 5. Accomplishments: During summer, the number of shots per day drastically increased because the interns provided invaluable help. Additionally, my calculations on the leg wear proved instrumental in determining which armature design is most efficient. 6. Presentations: The Power Point series which I created, and which details armature wear per design, will be briefed to the Charged Particle Physics Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory as well as NRL researchers involved with the Railgun.