HIGH PERFORMANCE ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL GUN INSULATORS

RAIL INSULATOR MATERIALS PERFORMANCE IS CRITICAL TO THE VIABILITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL GUNS AS KINETIC ENERGY WEAPONS FOR SDI MISSIONS. THE INSULATORS ARE EXPOSED TO A SEVERE THERMAL, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL MULTI-SHOT ENVIRONMENT. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO IDENTIFY AND DEMONSTRATE RAIL INSULATOR MATERIALS WHICH REMAIN DIELECTRIC IN THIS ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT ABLATION, FRACTURE, DEFORMATION, OR OTHER DEGRADATION. PRIMARY CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO ADVANCED CERAMICS, INCLUDING CERAMIC COMPOSITES. FRACTURE RESISTANCE IS A KEY REQUIREMENT FOR CERAMICS, AND SILICON NITRIDE IS A CANDIDATE CERAMIC MATERIAL. SECONDARY CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO MONOLITHIC AND REINFORCED PLASTICS. ABLATION RESISTANCE IS THE KEY CONCERN FOR PLASTICS, AND GLASS FIBER REINFORCED HIGH TEMPERATURE MATRIX (EG, POLYIMIDES) COMPOSITES ARE CANDIDATES HERE. WE WILL QUANTIFY THE INSULATOR PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, DEFINE AND ANALYTICALLY SCREEN CANDIDATE INSULATOR MATERIALS, AND IDENTIFY THE OPTIMUM MATERIAL AND ITS PROJECTED PERFORMANCE SUITABILITY. WE WILL FABRICATE AN INSULATOR SET FROM A CANDIDATE MATERIAL FOR TESTING IN A SINGLE-SHOT RAIL GUN.