Olin Corporation

Maxwell Technologies Systems Division, Inc.

John T Naff

James Howard Shea

H George Hammon, Iii

Michael Wright Ingram

Ronald Stanley Shaw

David Vincent Drury

Siu-Kwong Lam

A geometry for a spark switch includes an inner electrode surrounded by an outer electrode. The placement of the inner electrode within the outer electrode substantially increases the exposed overlapping surface area of the electrodes. The increase in surface area of the electrodes results in a proportional increase in the operational life of the switch. The design of the spark switch also causes the outer electrode to shield a surrounding insulation layer against debris that would otherwise contaminate an insulation layer.

Spark switch having coaxial electrodes with increased electrode surface

An acoustic cannon has a plurality of acoustic sources with output ends symmetrically arranged in a planar array about a central point. Pressure pulses are generated in each acoustic source at substantially the same time. The pressure pulses exit the output ends as sonic pulses. Interaction of the sonic pulses generates a Mach disk, a non-linear shock wave that travels along an axis perpendicular to the planar array with limited radial diffusion. The Mach disk retains the intensity of the sonic pulses for a time and a distance significantly longer than that achievable from a single sonic source. The acoustic cannon is useful as a non-lethal weapon to disperse crowds or disable a hostile target.

Acoustic cannon

A method of generating high-power microwaves from a compact source is disclosed by which a transmission line cavity resonator is charged to a high voltage and an electrical switch in the resonator is closed very quickly to produce subnanosecond current risetime and a resultant high-power microwave pulse. Structure to accomplish the method is also disclosed.

High power compact microwave source

An arcjet thruster comprises a cathode body and anode body tandemly arranged and separated by an insulative propellant injection ring. The cathode body has a cathode cavity therein having a convergent and a divergent portion forming a throat therebetween. The anode body has a divergent cavity therein for producing thrust. The divergent cavity has an upstream portion and a downstream portion. The divergent portion of the cathode and the upstream portion of the anode cavity form a constrictor. A power supply connected between the anode and the cathode bodies is used to produce an arc between the anode and cathode that passes through the constrictor. Propellant is injected in a vortex flow radially into the constrictor so that it divides. A portion of the flow is directed upstream through the throat into the convergent portion of the cathode cavity thus also pushing the cathode arc attachment point into the convergent portion to cause diffuse attachment thereof. The other portion of the propellant pushes the downstream end of the arc into the divergent portion of the anode cavity to cause diffuse attachment of the arc. Thus the vortex flow of the propellant into the constrictor causes diffuse attachment of both the cathode and anode foot attachments which in turn minimizes cathode erosion and lengthens effective arcjet lifetime.

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

John T Naff