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Rail Gun!!!!


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#61 Trogusaur

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Posted 04 February 2012 - 07:06 PM

View PostElektrik, on 03 February 2012 - 06:37 AM, said:


In re: bad jokes, perhaps you should do what Sheldon from "The Big Bang Theory" does-preface it with something like "Bazinga"....lol!

Lawl! Politics is a sore spot for anyone, I shouldn't have gone there. That's alright though, Sheldon may have missed the railgun, but he can still build LAMS.

#62 Damon Howe

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Posted 04 February 2012 - 07:22 PM

Railgun?

...random derail, yes...

But in all seriousness, I don't think the railgun should make an appearance...as someone said before, the gauss is more than enough firepower.

#63 Coralld

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Posted 04 February 2012 - 07:25 PM

Gauss is only effect if you have a long barrel, Rails are effective almost no matter how long or short they are.

#64 Elektrik

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Posted 06 February 2012 - 10:23 AM

View PostLord Trogus, on 04 February 2012 - 07:06 PM, said:

Lawl! Politics is a sore spot for anyone, I shouldn't have gone there. That's alright though, Sheldon may have missed the railgun, but he can still build LAMS.



Um...not sure we should trust him with either lol!

Edit: spelling.

Edited by Elektrik, 06 February 2012 - 10:24 AM.


#65 garx8

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Posted 02 March 2012 - 02:09 AM

View PostProsperity Park, on 02 February 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:

Yup. Railgun rails are subjected to plasma scoring for each shot because the extreme amount of current flowing from anode rail->projectile-> the cathode rail causes serious electrical arcing between the projectile and the rails. When you make the rails you have to choose a material that's very electrically conductive, yet very resiliant in the face of extreme high-temperature operation and serious oxidation.

People who make their own Railguns at home typically use brass rails because brass, being a copper alloy, is very conductive so you lose little energy to heat, it's readily available on the market, fairly inexpensive compared to exotic alloys, and relatively durable for what it's worth.

You might think "Why not use Tungsten rails?" Tungsten is THE MOST heat-proof metal and it's very very very tough - tough enough to be the primary component of many armor-piercing munitions and many tank armor systems, themselves. There are 2 problems with Tungsten rails, though. 1.) Tungetsn is expensive. 2.) Tungsten has a fraction of the electrical conductivity of Copper and Silver which means Tungsten rails lose huge amounts of energy due to electrical resistance [in the form of heat, which further damages the system].

The best materials to build weaponized Railgun rails with, assuming that either money is not an issue or materials will be cheaper in the future, would be Tungsten-Silver alloys. Silver is the most conductive metal on the periodic table and Tungsten is the thermally- and oxidatively-toughest metal. These are currently available on the market, but too expensive to build weapons with. The next best bet would be CuproTungsten (Tungsten/Copper alloy) which is also available and slightly cheaper. Third best bet would be the kinds of high-temperature superalloys used to build turbine blades such as the ones marketed by Haynes International (their most "popular" product being named Hastelloy).

Or you could use a sacreficial metal like strait copper on the sides of the rails that touch the round and just replace it after a certain number of firings. The navy uses zinc anodes in their coolant systems to avoid cavitation from the electrical dicharge due to the friction between the water and the pipe.same principle you know your'e gonna lose metal so make it cheap and readily available.Also instead of replacing the whole set of rails you only need to replace the sleave whitch can be done from the end of the "barrel"

Edited by garx8, 02 March 2012 - 02:16 AM.


#66 Felicitatem Parco

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Posted 02 March 2012 - 08:27 AM

The "replaceable barrel sleeve" concept would be problematic; anything cheap enough to be considered a disposable barrel sleeve would too weak to sustain multiple firings and have to be replaced every shot. That would reduce the firing rate to unacceptable levels.

Techs have been trying several methods to reduce barrel wear - they all involve reducing plasma arcing. One way that's demonstrated promise is to cover the projectile in small "hairs" or wires that carry the current between the rails and projectile instead of allowing air to dielectrically breakdown and form free plasma.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 02 March 2012 - 08:28 AM.






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