Ram accelerator - A new chemical method for accelerating projectilesto ultrahigh velocities

Equations of state implementation for 1-D modelling of performance in ram accelerator thermally choked propulsion mode

“…The one-dimensional, sub-detonative RAMAC model was originally developed at the University of Washington (Hertzberg et al 1988. In this model (Figure 2), steady flow is assumed to enter the control volume at supersonic velocity (denoted as state 1) and to exit at sonic velocity (denoted as state 2) where it has attained chemical equilibrium while conserving mass and energy.…”

“…The ram accelerator (Hertzberg et al 1988), henceforth referred to, as RAMAC for brevity, is a propulsion concept based on using shock-induced combustion processes to accelerate projectiles up to very high velocity at a supersonic speed in a tube prefilled with a gaseous combustible mixture. Since this novel concept was first introduced in 1983, extensive experimental studies have been carried out at laboratories around the world, notably at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, WA, USA, where the 38-mm-bore RAMAC facility has been used and operated at propellant fill pressures up to 20 MPa , Bundy et al 2004; at the French-German Research Institute Saint Louis (ISL), France, with 30-mm-bore and 90-mm-bore at fill pressures up to 4.5 MPa (Giraud et al 1998); at the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Aberdeen, MD, USA, with 120-mm-bore and fill pressures of 8 MPa (Nusca et al 1991, Kruczynski 1993; and at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, with 25-mm-bore and fill pressures of 6 MPa (Sasoh et al 1996(Sasoh et al , 1999.…”

Analytical Performance Evaluation of Superdetonative Mode Ram Accelerator; Considering Influence of Aluminum Vapor

“…The operation mode of the ram accelerator depends on the speed of the projectile and Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) detonation speed of the combustible gas mixture [1]. The projectile flies slower than the C-J detonation speed in subdetonative mode; the maximum speed is limited by the C-J detonation speed.…”

“…The ram accelerator is a device used to accelerate projectiles with synchronized combustion through a tube filled with a premixed combustible gas mixture [1]. A projectile is accelerated continuously through a ram tube; thus, a high final speed can be obtained with a long ram tube.…”

Analysis of Ram Acceleration for High Velocity Applications

“…While a detailed understanding of the fundamental physics and process involved is available in references (Hertzberg, Bruckner, and Bogdanoff 1986Knowlen, Brucker, and Bogdanoff 1987;Bruckner et al 1988aBruckner et al , 1988b; Kaloupis and Bruckner 1988; to be published), a brief summary of the ram process follows. Ram acceleration is related to the better known supersonic ramjet aircraft/rocket engine process.…”