Microwave technique for measuring projectile time history in light-gas guns.
Microwave reflectometer instrumentation for Ames light-gas guns, measuring time-distance values of projectiles during acceleration
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT↗
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Advances in light-gas gun technology
Constant-area accelerator used with light-gas guns increases the velocity of accelerating projectiles. A disposable accelerator on the muzzle of the gun uses the energy and momentum of a primary projectile, launched by the gun, to achieve high velocities of a light secondary projectile accelerated from rest in the accelerator.
Cowan, P. L.↗
Accessing terapascal pressures on two-stage light-gas guns for high-energy-density research
We present pressure amplifiers that have been developed to enable the study of material behavior at terapascal (TPa) pressures using two-stage light-gas gun (2SLGG) facilities. When impacted by a hyper-velocity projectile, Mach reflections within the pressure amplifier eventually merge to form a Mach stem, generating a planar output shock that greatly exceeds the initial drive. Validation experiments demonstrated that peak pressures of 0.6 and 1.073 TPa were achieved in quartz samples for two different amplifier designs. These pressures represent an approximately fivefold increase over the sample pressures typically attainable at 2SLGG facilities. The temporal and spatial uniformity of the pressure drive is suitable for high-precision equation-of-state measurements of materials relative to a shock standard. This work greatly extends the capabilities of 2SLGG facilities and opens new avenues of study in high-energy-density physics using these drivers.
Gorman, Martin G. [First Light Fusion, Oxford (Uni↗
Evaluation of a light-gas gun hypervelocity augmentation technique Final report
Interior ballistics of constant base pressure hypervelocity gun
Teng, R. N.↗
Collapsible pistons for light-gas guns
Moving and expandable parts of gun consist of pump-tube diaphragm, piston, launch-tube diaphragm, and saboted projectile. As a result of improved piston design, pressure cycle has been significantly improved by smoother buildup, increasing muzzle velocities up to 50%.
Teng, R. N.↗
Development of a Piston-compressor Type Light-gas Gun for the Launching of Free-flight Models at High Velocity
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Charters, A C↗
Development of a high-velocity free-flight launcher : the Ames light-gas gun
Recent interest in long-range missiles has stimulated a search for new experimental techniques which can reproduce in the laboratory the high temperatures and Mach numbers associated with the missiles' flight. One promising possibility lies in free-flight testing of laboratory models which are flown at the full velocity of the missile. In this type of test, temperatures are approximated and aerodynamic heating of the model is representative of that experienced by the missile in high-velocity flight. A prime requirement of the free-flight test technique is a device which had the capacity for launching models at the velocities desired. In response to thie need, a gun firing light models at velocities up to 15,000 feet per second has been developed at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The design of this gun, the analysis of its performance, and the results of the initial firing trials are described in this paper. The firing trials showed that the measured velocities and pressures agreed well with the predicted values. Also, the erosion of the launch tube was very small for the eleven rounds fired. The performance of the gun suggests that it will prove to be a satisfactory launcher for high-velocity free-flight tests. However, it should be mentioned that only the gross performance has been evaluated so far, and, consequently, the operation of the gun must be investigated in further detail before its performance can be reliably predicted over its full operating range.
Charters, A C↗
A Technique for Obtaining Hypervelocity Impact Data by using the Relative Velocities of Two Projectiles
A facility has been developed and put into operation to determine the feasibility of obtaining hypervelocity impact data by using the relative velocities of two projectiles. The facility utilizes the technique of firing a target toward an oncoming high-velocity projectile so that the impact velocity is equal to the sum of the projectile velocity and the target velocity. A 37-millimeter powder gun is utilized to accelerate the targets, and a specially designed 22-caliber light-gas gun accelerates the impacting projectiles. The light-gas gun is operated by detonating an explosive charge which permits it to be synchronized with the firing of the 37-millimeter gun. Impact velocities as great as 21,850 ft/sec have been obtained during development of the facility. After the oncoming projectiles impact the targets fired from the 37-millimeter gun, these targets are recovered by allowing them to impact into Celotex and soft wooden blocks. The craters formed in the targets then can be observed and measured. The results of several preliminary firings of the facility are included in this report.
Kinard, William H.↗
Shock compression of crystalline TeO 2 to the high-pressure fluid regime: Insights from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations
The shock response of fully-dense and porous crystalline tellurium dioxide (TeO 2 ) to the high-pressure and high-temperature fluid regime was investigated within the framework of density functional theory with Mermin’s generalization to finite temperatures. The principal and porous shock Hugoniot curves were predicted from canonical ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, with the phase space sampled along isotherms up to 80 000 K, for densities ranging from ρ = 3 to 17 g/cm 3 . The polymorphs investigated are α-TeO 2 paratellurite (P4 1 2 1 2), TeO 2 cotunnite (Pnma), and TeO 2 post-cotunnite (P2 1 /m). Based on the discontinuity found in the calculated U s – u p slope of TeO 2 post-cotunnite at a shock velocity of U s ≃ 8.35km/s and a particle velocity of u p ≃ 3.64 km/s, the shock melting temperature and pressure are predicted to be ≃ 6500 K and ≃ 170 GPa. Results from the AIMD simulations are in line with the static compression data of TeO 2 paratellurite and cotunnite, and with the recent shock Hugoniot data for single-crystal α- TeO 2 for pressures up to 85 GPa, obtained using the inclined-mirror method and the velocity interferometer system for any reflector combined with powder gun and two-stage light-gas gun.
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
Shock compression and adiabatic release of a titaniferous mare basalt
A report is presented regarding the dynamic properties of a rock indigenous to the mare basins of the moon. The reported data were obtained in a study of sample 70215, a very titanium-rich basalt (58% pyroxene, 18% ilmenite, 15% plagioclase, 6% olivine, and 3% quartz by weight). This rock is probably representative of a class of the earliest mare-filling extrusive rocks which are exposed on the present lunar surface. Two series of experiments were performed. One set of experiments involved the measuring of Hugoniot and release adiabats to 15.7 GPa with a propellant gun apparatus. In the second set of experiments, a light-gas gun was employed to yield Hugoniot data at about 120 GPa and release states at about 90 GPa. Lunar basalt 70215 appears to be among the densest rocks in the present lunar sample collection, having a crystal density of 3.38 g/cu cm and a porosity of about 1.3%. The results of the experiments have important implications for both the degree of shock metamorphism expected for impact processes and the extent of ejecta transport on mare surfaces with high-titanium basalt composition.
Ahrens, T. J.↗
Meteor Crater: Energy of formation - Implications of centrifuge scaling
Recent work on explosive cratering has demonstrated the utility of performing subscale experiments on a geotechnic centrifuge to develop scaling rules for very large energy events. The present investigation is concerned with an extension of this technique to impact cratering. Experiments have been performed using a projectile gun mounted directly on the centrifuge rotor to launch projectiles into a suitable soil container undergoing centripetal accelerations in excess of 500 G. The pump tube of a two-stage light-gas gun was used to attain impact velocities of approximately 2 km/sec. The results of the experiments indicate that the energy of formation of any large impact crater depends upon the impact velocity. This dependence, shown for the case of Meteor Crater, is consistent with analogous results for the specific energy dependence of explosives and is expected to persist to impact velocities in excess of 25 km/sec.
Schmidt, R. M.↗
Experiments and Simulations of the Dusty Properties of Hypervelocity Impact Plasmas
Hypervelocity impacts, referring to impacts occurring at several times the speed of sound in the target, result in inertial stresses greatly exceeding the material strength and produce behavior that is not fully understood. These impact phenomena are seen in space through impacts of orbital debris and meteoroids on spacecraft and airless natural bodies but can also be produced in laboratory environments using light-gas guns and electrostatic dust accelerators. When a hypervelocity impact occurs, plasma is generated both from thermal ionization and from pressure ionization, producing a wide range of plasma densities depending on the impactor’s velocity. This plasma is initially formed in the warm dense matter (WDM) regime and governed by high energy density (HED) hydrodynamics before it rapidly expands and dissipates, spanning many orders of magnitude in density and length scale. The plasma can also contain a dust component, which is particularly relevant for the lower-velocity range of hypervelocity impacts with parameters that are particularly relevant to Tokamak plasmas. Therefore, the properties and dynamics of these plasmas cannot be fully characterized without considering dusty plasma effects, which are ubiquitous but poorly understood.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE AMES HYPERVELOCITY FREE-FLIGHT FACILITIES AND SOME OF THE CURRENT RESEARCH PROBLEMS BEING STUDIED IN THEM
Description of the ames research center facilities combining a shock tube wind tunnel and a light-gas gun to study hypervelocity gas dynamics
LABORATORY APPARATUS↗
Impact gages for detecting meteoroid and other orbital debris impacts on space vehicles.
Impacts on space vehicles have been simulated using the McDonnell Douglas Aerophysics Laboratory (MDAL) Light-Gas Guns to launch particles at hypervelocity speeds into scaled space structures. Using impact gages and a triangulation technique, these impacts have been detected and accurately located. This paper describes in detail the various types of impact gages (piezoelectric PZT-5A, quartz, electret, and off-the-shelf plastics) used. This description includes gage design and experimental results for gages installed on single-walled scaled payload carriers, multiple-walled satellites and space stations, and single-walled full-scale Delta tank structures. A brief description of the triangulation technique, the impact simulation, and the data acquisition system are also included.
Mastandrea, J. R.↗
Comet flyby sample return experiment
Dust from several comets can be returned to earth with minimum propulsion effort after a high-speed encounter. The collection concept involves the capture of individual dust particles by condensation in a cell after vaporization by a thin diaphragm. This collection concept has been validated in laboratory tests. To compensate for the slower laboratory velocities in a two-stage light-gas gun, higher-density metals (Zn and Cd) have been used for particles and diaphragms to simulate hypervelocity vaporization. Teflon has proved to be a suitable material for the collection cell; more than 50 percent of the vaporized projectile material has been recovered by chemical etching from such cells. Hypervelocity-impact parameters (such as diaphragm-to-projectile ratio, hole size, and plume angles) determined by tests permit the modification of existing analytical models. These new findings are necessary for flyby cometary experiments.
Tsou, P.↗
High-speed aerodynamics of several blunt-cone configurations
The experimental techniques and results from NASA Ames research into the aerodynamics of blunt shapes are described. Two facilities are used: the Hypersonic Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF) and the Pressurized Ballistic Range (PBR). The HFFAF features a 23 m test section through which projectiles can be fired by light-gas guns to achieve velocities up to 9 km/sec in pressures from 1 atm down to 20 microns Mg. Aerodynamic flight data are recorded with shadowgraphs. The 62 m long PBR, with 24 orthogonal spark shadowgraph stations, allows testing in up to 6 atm pressures but with only half the velocity of the HFFAF. Tests have been performed on the Galileo probe to be dropped into the Jovian atmosphere. The Galileo data for a 45 deg cone probe have been similar to Pioneer Venus probe data. Ballistic data are presently being obtained for the probe at Re below 1000, when the drag coefficients are expected to increase dramatically as the probe enters the Jovian atmosphere and begins braking from 4700 m/s speed. Sample test data from an OTV which can change orbits through aerodynamic maneuvers and for several asymmetric configurations ae also provided.
Intrieri, P. F.↗
An advanced hypervelocity aerophysics facility - A ground-based flight-test range
The paper discusses a concept for a ground-based flight-test facility, a large aeroballistic range capable of launching models large enough to permit the installation of significant amounts of onboard instrumentation. The large model size would also provide thick shock/boundary layers, thus providing the opportunity to measure flow-field properties via advanced offboard diagnostics. Current fabrication technology should permit the construction of a two-stage light-gas gun capable of accelerating 20 to 25 cm diameter models to velocities on the order of 6 km/sec. An electromagnetic launcher or a ram accelerator is considered as a potential means for achieving larger model sizes and/or greater launch velocities. Possible methods for obtaining and recording data are discussed as are the test chamber and model deceleration section requirements.
Witcofski, R. D.↗