Claims
- 1. An arrangement for the accelerating of a projectile through the intermediary of a plasma generated by an electrical discharging circuit in a metallic tube having a closed metallic bottom, an insulating sleeve being arranged within said metallic tube so as to electrically insulate said tube from the metallic bottom, said projectile being arranged in said tube, one pole of said discharging circuit electrically contacting a first electrode which is formed by said metallic bottom rearwardly of said projectile, and the other pole of the discharging circuit is connected with the jacket of said tube, said projectile having a rear portion constituting a second electrode located within the axial extent of said insulating sleeve and a leading portion forming a current collector contacting the interior surface of the metallic tube so as to be slidable in electrical contact therewith during acceleration of the projectile, whereby an electric arc is produced intermediate said first and second electrodes generating a plasma for accelerating said projectile, said continual contact between the current collector and said metallic tube during forward acceleration of said projectile maintaining and extending said electric arc until said rear portion of the projectile exits from said insulating sleeve so as to regulate the pressure acting on the projectile by the generated plasma.
- 2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the starting position of the projectile and during acceleration thereof, the current collector continually electrically contacts the metallic tube upstream of said insulating sleeve which extends to the bottom of the tube.
- 3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the electrical insulating sleeve within the lower portion of the metallic tube and the distance of the rear portion of the projectile constituting said second-electrode from the current collector are correlated with respect to each other so as to generate an electrical arc between the tube bottom and the base of the projectile which increases in length during the acceleration of the projectile within said insulating sleeve.
- 4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the insulator and the tube possess the same size of caliber.
- 5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projectile comprises a missile with a propulsion mechanism which forms the current collector.
- 6. An arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the propulsion mechanism includes a front portion forming the current collector and a rear portion spaced from in the front portion in the longitudinal direction and forming the second electrode.
- 7. A method for accelerating of a projectile through the intermediary of a plasma generated by an electrical discharging circuit in a metallic tube having a closed metallic bottom, an insulating sleeve being arranged within said metallic tube so as to electrically insulate said tube from the metallic bottom, comprising arranging said projectile in said tube such that one pole of said discharging circuit electrically contacts a first electrode which is formed by said metallic bottom rearwardly of said projectile; connecting another pole of the discharging circuit to the said metallic tube, said projectile having a rear portion constituting a second electrode located within the axial confines of said insulating sleeve and a leading portion forming a current collector contacting the interior surface of the metallic tube so as to be slidable in continuous electrical contact therewith during acceleration of the projectile; producing an electric arc intermediate said first and second electrodes to generate a plasma for accelerating said projectile; and maintaining said continual contact between the current collector and said metallic tube during forward acceleration of said projectile to thereby extend said electric arc until said rear portion of the projectile exits from said insulating sleeve to regulate the pressure acting on the projectile by the generated plasma.
- 8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a base of said projectile is formed by said second electrode which is spaced from the current collector along the longitudinal direction of the projectile.
- 9. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, in the starting position and during acceleration of the projectile, the current collector continually contacts the surface of the metallic tube upstream of said insulating sleeve which extends to the bottom of the tube.
- 10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first electrode is located on the tube bottom, said insulating sleeve contacting the tube bottom and electrically insulating the tube bottom from the metallic tube.
- 11. A method as claim in claim 9, wherein the length of the electrical insulating sleeve and the distance between the base of the projectile and the current collector at the leading end thereof are correlated with respect to each other so as to generate an electrical are between the tube bottom and the base of the projectile which increases in length during the acceleration of the projectile.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
3910566 |
Apr 1989 |
DEX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 498,996, filed on Mar. 26, 1990, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0152492 |
Aug 1985 |
EPX |
0190548 |
Aug 1986 |
EPX |
242501 |
Oct 1987 |
EPX |
3613260 |
Oct 1987 |
DEX |
310299 |
Dec 1989 |
JPX |
2207985 |
Feb 1989 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
498996 |
Mar 1990 |
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