MANUFACTURING AND TESTING OF AN AIR-CORE COMPULSATOR DRIVEN 0.60 CALIBER RAILGUN SYSTEM

The Center for Electromechanics at the The University of Texas at Austin (CEM-UT) has completed final assembly and is currently testing a laboratory based, small caliber, electromagnetic launcher and compensated pulsed alternator power supply. The objective of the program is to develop a compact, lightweight test bed capable of accelerating a salvo of three, 32-g masses to 2 km/s at a rate of 10 Hz. The 0.60 caliber, augmented railgun is powered by an 850 kg self-excited, air-core compulsator which develops 674 MW peak power delivered through a solid state, silicon controlled rectifier closing switch. The incremental test plan is scheduled to bring the system to full power levels during the summer of 1992. This paper presents critical component fabrication and assembly details of the compulsator and supporting subsystems Early system commissioning and test data is presented including low speed (8,000 rpm) tests of the compulsator involving external excitation of the field coil.