Electromagnetic Railgun Launchers: Practical and Theoretical Perspectives

Railguns are highly complex multi-disciplinary engineering systems that use electricity to launch projectiles at very high speeds. This dissertation investigates new technologies, models, and theories necessary for the development of practical systems to bring the railgun out of the lab and into the field. The research focuses on improvements to the size, weight, performance, and efficiency of components of the railgun's power supply as well as improvements to its control. Extensive theories useful for the design and modeling of the system were developed with emphasis on scaling, efficiency, and physics. These technologies were experimentally demonstrated on a reduced scale railgun system.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Electrical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Sung, Victor W.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Odendaal, Willem G.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Brown, Alan J.
• Sable, Daniel M.
• Wicks, Alfred L.
• Centeno, Virgilio A.

• Pulsed power
• efficiency
• scaling
• pulse forming network
• railgun
• transient skin effect

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:35659

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/112278