Concept for a new light-gas gun type hypervelocity accelerator

•A new two-stage light-gas gun type accelerator concept is presented.•The modified pumping stage shall reduce the peak pressure for a given exit velocity.•A peak pressure reduction of up to 30% is predicted by numerical simulations.•Experimental results of the calibre 4 mm prototype show feasibility of the concept.

A new two-stage light-gas gun type accelerator was developed at Fraunhofer EMI. The pumping stage is modified to create a single, elongated pressure pulse to act on the projectile. Numerical simulations show that the maximum pressure load to the accelerator can be reduced by approx. 30% compared to a standard two-stage light-gas accelerator of similar geometry. Experimental results of the calibre 4 mm prototype show feasibility of the concept. The concept is reviewed and numerical parametric investigations required for successful operation are presented. In the future, the concept presented shall increase the performance attainable by light-gas gun accelerators.