Railgun
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A railgun is a type of artillery that fire projectiles at supersonic speeds by launching them out of using electromagnetism instead of gun powder. Current expectations for railguns are a 400 mile (643.6 kilometer) range and an impact velocity of Mach 8. Current problems with railguns are power generation and barrel life. Railguns require large amounts of power to work in the first place. They also go through barrels quickly because of the extreme temperatures inside the barrel. Railguns currently only exist as prototypes and in science fiction.
External links
Theory
- Railgun Theory by Matthew E. Massey
- howstuffworks.com - explanation with animations
- iop.org - Theoretical limits on exit velocity
- Jengel and Fatro's Rail Gun Page
Amateur
- PowerLabs Rail Gun research
- Railgun theory, design, construction, and testing
- Railgun Blog by Jason Rollette
- Miniature Experimental Railgun
- Tim Ventura's 90's-era Railgun Designs
- American Antigravity's Mass-Driver Demo + Video
- +EML Laboratory－ Japanese Experiment＋Video
University
Military
Press and media
- USN sets five-year target to develop electromagnetic gun Jane's Defence Weekly, 20 July 2006
- US Navy Invents Railgun Wired News blog article, Thurs January 18 2007
- Electromagnetic Railgun Popular Science Article
- Video of Navy railgun test firing, Navy Electromagnetic Launch Facility, Test Shot #1, 2 October 2006. Source: Fredericksburg.com, accessed 30 January 2007
- World’s Most Powerful Rail Gun Delivered to Navy, 14 November 2007