Railgun Firing by PowerLabs. Compilation video with several shots showing EMP...

A compilation of some RailGun firings during the filming of "Sci-Fi Science" for the Science Channel, in September 2007. These videos show the PowerLabs Railgun being fired at 3000 - 3500Volts, circa 16KJ Stored Energy. First shots show noticeable power and recoil, with good projectile penetration, then power drops off as the rails erode.
Notice the Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) at the first and last videos; enough energy is radiated to light up fluorescent bulbs above the gun. That is why the chrono doesn't work.
For more information: http://www.powerlabs.org/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• railgun
• rail
• gun
• powerlabs
• emp
• electromagnetic
• pulse
• plasma
• coilgun
• sam
• barros
• science
• channel

[JaycubL]

Could you (or anyone) increase the power and efficiency if you put strong permanant magnets just behind the armature's starting position positioned to repel the armature when the current flows?

[Powerlabs]

Yes you can. There is a big catch with that though, which explains why you only see it on tiny guns: the highest field strength achievable from a permanent magnet is about a Tesla; the field around the rails of a gun like this is many tens of Tesla; because of that what would actually happen is that you would waste energy reverse magnetising the magnets. Smaller guns can pick up a lot of efficiency from external augmentation like that though.

[Zappyguy111]

@MrIzzyDizzy

Railguns are good at one thing, and that's making little things go really fast. But they're a "here's three options pick one" situation, speed, efficiency and cost.

We ,Australia, held the world record for projectile speed with one of these since the 1970's up until the Americans caught up. But the Americans had to beat it with a 2kg shell rather than a 20g pellet...

Why does the u.s.a want them? High energy to dollar ratio per round.

[Zappyguy111]

@MrIzzyDizzy

The maglev is already efficient enough as it is, and even if you do have the extra money at hand, I wouldn't bother as it would require more maintenance than the traditional method. Yes the vacuum tube train could theoretically reach such speeds, though it'd be astronomically expensive to build, but cheap to run. Wind resistance causes a car doing 90kph is more efficient than a car doing 100kph. It's also the reason why I can't do 70kph on my bike... only 50.

[MrIzzyDizzy]

@Zappyguy111 what if money were not involved and you plenty of electricity -i appreciate the feedback -also is it pssible in combination with maglev -or does there have tobe contact with the rail -also what about the vacumated tube train in zeitgeist addendum - could speeds of 4000mph be attainable? - any way i appreciate the info -i have had some other response to that question some saying no some saying yes -

[JaycubL]

@Zappyguy111 Cool! I will watch the videos.

[TGram29]

@Zappyguy111 then air is badass

[Zappyguy111]

@TGram29

Hate to break it to you, it's just the air... the gun barely makes any sound on it's own.

[Zappyguy111]

@shadowOrgon

I have considered doing that, but I was running short on time and had to use permanent magnets. But this is something I'm certain to do with my 300mm gun as I doubt I could get Nd magnets that long and only 5mm wide. Plus you can get much stronger magnets with coils than Nd magnets. Theoretically it'd work according to Lorentz law. But you'd have to keep the coil's resistance down (keeping it cold will help) or doing lots of single winds in parallel.

[Zappyguy111]

@MrIzzyDizzy

If you don't mind paying 500 million dollars for kilometre of track in respect to 1 million dollars per kilometre (copper instead of steel tracks for conductivity), EMP's jamming computers on and around the train, and nearby power grid, high costs maintaining the axils, wheels and tracks due to arcing and the threat of sever electrocution (sever-as the organism will explode due to high currents) to anything crossing the tracks. It's doable. Though you may have a few complaints. :P

[Zappyguy111]

Based my year 12 assignment around your work.

Got a moderately effective 40mm long barrel railgun. Pitty I didn't write up a good report.

But either way I'm hoping to come back to this project someday with my 300mm gun and a new power supply. Though I'm still wondering about Faraday's Law as the gun essentially is a single wind coil and and AC current won't help much... I think I may have given a lot away in that sentence.

[Zappyguy111]

@JaycubL

Done it, my railgun wouldn't have worked with out them. Feel free to watch the videos.