Mass stabilized projectile designs for electromagnetic launch

A dual-density Rodman cone, with 1/d=7, has been found to be attractive for electromagnetic launch and may have adequate terminal ballistic performance. Stable flight is achieved from the correct distribution of mass within the projectile body. The design provides some flexibility for the armature in that all the armature mass is used for aerodynamic stability. Furthermore, the acceleration can be supported by a simple one-piece armature. A bore rider, which is less than 10% of the total mass, is needed for in-bore stability and structural support at the tungsten/aluminum interface. Work to date has focused on small-caliber applications, but substantial gains can be achieved when the bore size is increased to cannon caliber. General design principles for a mass stabilized projectile are presented. Nearly all aspects of launch, flight, and terminal effects as a function of bore size are addressed. Flight and terminal effects are computed from curve fits to existing experimental data. >