A coaxial railgun as a prototype of a new generation railgun

An increase of the transition velocity magnitude is an indispensable condit ion of the problem decision of the metal bodies nonarc acceleration up to h igh velocities. Early it was shown that in a traditional railgun the transi tion velocity mag be increase approximately three times by using rails with the graphite layer or by using muzzle feed railguns. But the most perspect ive manner is the rise of the transition velocity by increasing the magnitu de of the railgun geometrical parameter, In this paper we show that a decis ion of this problem is possible only by designing the railgun of a new gene ration. The railgun with coaxial placement of rails is the most simple type of such railgun, Its experimental research has been carried out. The proje ctile with the mass 2.4 g has been accelerated in a nonarc regime up to the velocity 1600 m/s that exceeds approximately two times the transition velo city in a traditional railgun in accelerating bodies of the same mass.