STAR’s Five Laboratory Test Launchers

STAR’s Five Laboratory Test Launchers

Single Stage – Smooth Bore – Compressed Light Gas Gun

Sin Stg Light Gas Gun
  • Compressed gas driven
  • 100 mm bore diameter
  • 900-9000 gm projectile mass
  • 0.01-1000 m/s projectile velocity
  • 30 GPa (300 kbar) impact pressure

Single Stage – Smooth Bore – Powder Gun

Shock Thermodynamic Applied Research (STAR) gun facilities.
  • Propellant driven (9000 grams/19.8 pounds  maximum fill)
  • 89 mm bore diameter
  • 900-9000 gm projectile mass
  • 400-2200 m/s projectile velocity
  • 100 GPa (1Mbar) impact pressure

Two Stage – Smooth Bore – Light Gas Gun

Two Stg Smooth Bore Gas
  • Propellant driven (9000 grams/19.8 pounds maximum fill)
  • 20, 30, 67 mm bore diameter
  • 15-60 gm projectile mass
  • 800-7500 m/s projectile velocity
  • 650 GPa (6.5 Mbar) impact pressure
  • Three stage/HVL/EHVL = Two stage gun + fixtures
  • Three stage gun configuration is unique in the world for launching flyer plates for Equation of State (EOS) studies up to 12km/sec

Single Stage – Keyed-bore Compressed Light Gas Gun

Sng St Keyed-bore
  • AKA "Oblique Gun"
  • Compressed gas driven
  • 100 mm bore diameter
  • 500-5000 gm projectile mass
  • 50-350 m/s projectile velocity
  • 10 GPa (100 kbar) impact pressure

Terminal Ballistic Facility

Term Ballistic Fac
  • Propellant driven (200 gm/0.44 pounds maximum fill)
  • Two stage, smooth bore, light gas gun
  • 6-30 mm bore diameter
  • 1-60 gm projectile mass
  • 800-7500 m/sec projectile velocity
  • 650 GPa (6.5 Mbar) impact pressure