Patent · US Active

Barrels for electromagnetic guns

US7503249B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
22References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 27, 2006
Grant dateMar 17, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 16, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF41B6/006
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A gun barrel for firing a projectile and particularly a rail gun barrel that comprises a pair of spaced apart rails and a pair of spaced apart insulators, which separate the rails, and together define a composite bore, all disposed centrally within an outer rigid tube. A prestressed filament-wound polymeric resin shell immediately surrounds and applies compressive stress to this composite, bore-defining structure. A pressure medium, positioned between the shell and the interior surface of the outer tube, is operative to apply compressive stress to the shell at least at locations generally radially outward of the rails. The compressive stresses applied by the combination of the prestressed shell and the pressure medium are additive and effectively preload the rails and the composite bore structure to resist overall forces encountered during projectile firing which, in a rail gun, include asymmetric loads upon the rails from electromagnetic repulsion forces and also axisymmetric bursting forces.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.