Parameter Studies for Traveling Wave Coaxial Launchers

The traveling wave coaxial launcher is a complex machine that requires very extensive parameter studies to optimize. Most of previous attempts to realize hypervelocity using coaxial launchers have failed partly due to inadequate analyses. This paper reports the results of very extensive air-core coaxial launcher parameter studies performed using computers. These results and the methodology introduced should help future researchers on this topic. In the course of studying the feasibility of accelerating a 1-kg projectile to 10 km/s with an 18 m air-core multiphase coaxial launcher powered by a rising frequency generator (RFGs), a complete simulation code based on the current filament method was developed. Results from the simulation code indicate rather chaotic behavior of an arbitrary coaxial launcher design. More fundamental studies were then conducted using various computer codes based on the current filament method.