External magnetic field influence on the behaviour of arc-driven railguns

The analysis of the effects of the application of an external magnetic field on the behaviour of plasma-driven railguns is carried out. An evaluation of the quantity of material ablated from the rail and insulator walls, of the mass leakage from the rear of the arc, and an estimate of secondary arc formation is carried out modeling the characteristic quantities of the plasma arc by means of an adimensional model that was suitably adapted in order to reproduce some experimental data.