Design and fabrication of large- and small-bore railguns

A joint program between the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory was conducted to establish whether railguns could be operated at megampere currents, to set operating limits, and to provide data to validate the modeling of railgun technology. This paper discusses the 12.7- and 50.0-mm-bore railguns designed and fabricated for this program. The design criteria, the materials and fabrication methods, and the success of the designs are discussed in detail.