Magnetic Accelerator Cannon: Difference between revisions
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===Operation=== | ===Operation=== | ||
[[File:Coilgun animation.gif|thumb|right|250px|An animation of a coilgun's operating principle.]] | [[File:Coilgun animation.gif|thumb|right|250px|An animation of a coilgun's operating principle.]] | ||
MACs operate on the basis of a [[:Wikipedia:Coilgun|coilgun]]. When firing, a series of stacked | MACs operate on the basis of a [[:Wikipedia:Coilgun|coilgun]]. When firing, a series of stacked coil motors are sequentially activated, propelling a projectile with vast amounts of kinetic energy.{{Ref/Reuse|WFG}} The construction of the weapon takes the form of a series of coiled conducting wires (or solenoids). When a solenoid is activated, the projectile is attracted to the coil. As the projectile reaches the coil, a second coil is activated, attracting the projectile further down the barrel of the gun. This process is repeated as the projectile travels the length of the gun, with each successive solenoid accelerating the projectile to higher and higher velocities. As such, the longer a MAC's length is, the faster the muzzle velocity of the fired projectile. | ||
This process differs from that of a [[railgun]] - a similar weapon system that feeds electrical current through a projectile to accelerate it along two conducting rails. Nonetheless, railgun weapon systems are occasionally referred to as MACs - as in the case of the Mini-MAC armament of the [[M510 Mammoth]].{{Ref/Reuse|H4IGMammoth}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG115}} | This process differs from that of a [[railgun]] - a similar weapon system that feeds electrical current through a projectile to accelerate it along two conducting rails. Nonetheless, railgun weapon systems are occasionally referred to as MACs - as in the case of the Mini-MAC armament of the [[M510 Mammoth]].{{Ref/Reuse|H4IGMammoth}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG115}} | ||