ISO9001:2000
Our UTRON team has been gun launching masses for the past 25 years. We have extensive experience in design, construction, and operation of many gun technologies, including, but not limited to, those represented below.
This gun is not to be confused with a two or three stage light gas gun. The only common element is the use of hydrogen or helium. The CLGG has experimentally demonstrated velocities > 4 km/sec (13,120 ft/sec). It has (in some experiments) demonstrated a muzzle energy increase of 400% when compared to conventional powder guns. The CLGG uses no electrical power supply or conventional gun propellants.
This gun is not to be confused with a two or three stage light gas gun. The only common element is the use of hydrogen or helium. ELGG is an extremely high velocity and efficient gun launch technology. Experimentally velocities of 7.2 km/sec (23,620 ft/sec) with 10% efficiency have been demonstrated. This gun (in theory) should go to velocities > 8 km/sec. ELGG does require an electric power supply.
The ET gun is an electric gun that ablates or heats material from the inside wall of a capillary tube. There are many different variations of the ET gun depending on the wall material with cooling fluids (inert and/or energetic) that can be placed inside a chamber in front of the capillary tube. The velocities achieved are as varied as the recipe put into the mixture. Typically velocities (with no barrel erosion) up to 2 km/sec (6,562 ft/sec) have been demonstrated. In theory much higher velocities might be possible. However, demonstrated velocities greater than 2 have also demonstrated higher barrel erosion. The ET gun requires an electrical power supply.
ETC is a variation of ET and has demonstrated the same velocity and barrel erosion effects as ET. The main difference between ETC and ET is that smaller amounts of electrical energy are required. As the electrical energy is reduced, solid propellants are added; thus, smaller electrical power supplies are needed. ETC is sometimes called a hybrid gun. There are many variations of ETC as to the geometry, propellants used, and the mix of electricity and propellant used.
The velocity doubler is similar to a two stage light gas gun, except no solid propellants are used. The pump tube and the launch tube are the same bore diameter and the heavy projectile follows the light projectile to the target. Several shots were taken and all were successful. The output velocity was always double the input velocity and velocities > 5 km/sec were demonstrated.
Although "Electrothermal" remains as part of the name, the ETI is a solid propellant gun. The solid propellant is ignited with an energetic electric charge. There are many variations of this gun: propellant type, ignition energy, ignition energy timing, and geometry to name a few.
Our UTRON team designed and operated the world's largest (120mm) ram cannon. The research was carried out for the US Navy and test fired at the Army Aberdeen proving ground. This gun works as an inverse ram jet engine. The barrel is filled with a mixture of gaseous fuel and oxidizer, the projectile runs through the fuel, and the combustion takes place mid way down the projectile. The projectile experiences a constant and uniform acceleration profile. The ram cannon has demonstrated 2.5 km/sec (8,220 ft/sec) and in theory is capable of much higher velocities.
The rail gun is an electric gun with a barrel consisting of two or more electrical conductors separated by insulators that run its entire length. The projectile is accelerated by a magnetic force induced by running current through the rails. In theory, the velocity is limited by the materials used in the design of the gun. The gun that UTRON personnel designed, built, and test fired, achieved velocities > 5 km/sec, but never consistently, and barrel erosion has always been a nagging problem.
The side injector is, as the name implies, the accelerating energy coming in from chambers distributed along the barrel. The Germans built and fired a side injection gun during World War II; they called it the Millipede. UTRON personnel have designed, built, and test fired several different versions of the side injected gun using ET and ELGG technologies. The side injected gun demonstrated 7.2 km/sec and, after much experimental work, it was learned that velocities no higher than a breech feed gun could be reached. However, the acceleration profile could be altered for low gees.
The UTRON team has live fired thousands of rounds from large bore 120mm, 155mm, and 8 inch guns. These rounds were fired in support of ordinance research and barrel shot life research.