Plasma propagation and ignition of propellant in the chamber of a SPETC gun

The propagation of plasma and the spatial properties of the ignition process, in the chamber of a solid propellant electrothermal-chemical (SPETC) gun, are studied experimentally for discharge powers between 100 MW and 300 MW. The plasma was found to fill the entire chamber volume in approximately 1 msec. The measured axial and radial plasma propagation velocities were in the range of 1000-2000 m/s and 100-500 m/s, respectively. The ignition was found to be more intensive in the central chamber region and towards the breech. The obtained results are used for modeling the plasma injection in interior ballistic codes.