Projectile accelerating device

US5042359A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Rheinmetall GmbH · DE
• TZN Forschungs- und Entwicklungszentrum · DE

Inventors

• Wolfram Witt · Goldkronach, DE
• Markus Loffler · Unterlüß, DE
• Ulrich Braunsberger · Lengede, DE
• Jurgen Salge · Hamburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 12, 1989
• Grant date: Aug 27, 1991
• Expiry date: Apr 12, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F41B6/00
• WIPO field: Other special machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A device for accelerating projectiles from a muzzle of a launching tube, with an electrically heated plasma, the plasma being produced by two electrodes between which is formed an electric arc that creates and heats the plasma. To assure in a simple manner that the pressure at the projectile base is almost constant during launching of the projectile, one of the two electrodes is provided at a breechblock of the tube and the other is formed by the base of the projectile.