MULTIPOINT, PACKED WIRE, AND MONOLITHIC ARMATURES

There are three types of non-arcing solid armatures that have been experimented with in railguns. A. The multipoint armatures in which the faces of the armatures in sliding electrical contact with the rails consist of many more or less independent contact points or small patches. B. The packed wire armature in which the contact faces consist of very many packed wire ends. C. The monolithic armature in which the armature presents a single solid face to each rail. All three of these have been successful within certain limits and each has its own design philosophy. This paper presents the historical background to present solid armature work and the results of recent experiments using the first and third types in 25 mm square bore railguns.