Phil Putman’s

Research etc.

Electromechanical applications of superconductivity, materials processing and characterization, and some robots

  

Active research

Electromagnetic launch
   



Electromagnetic launch has the potential to drastically reduce the cost of access to space. The highest EM launch speeds thus far demonstrated, achieved using railguns, are approximately 6 km/s. My research project explores launchers designed around newly available superconducting materials. The goals are to improve on the energy conversion efficiency of railguns, reduce wear problems, and eventually surpass the railguns’ record speed.

Go to the Lifeboat Foundation site now to support electromagnetic launch research!

 

Superconducting materials processing
   

The monolithic form of the superconductor YBCO has been used to produce magnetic fields as large as 17 T. The goal of this project is to increase the diameter of these monoliths by using a modification of the standard crystal growth method. Shown are a microstructure and field measurement.

 

Materials characterization
 

Along with other members of the materials group, I build and maintain equipment for characterizing materials produced in our lab. We have the capability to measure voltage, with a sensitivity of less than a nanovolt, as a function of DC, AC, and pulsed current, at temperatures as low as 4 K and applied fields up to 5 T.
 

Cannon-launched glider
 

This missile will be electromagnetically launched, and data from the onboard GPS locator used to study the predictability of the resulting trajectories. It can also carry sensors for atmospheric measurements.
 

Dormant research

Hybrid electric vehicle
 

I was a member of a team of Cornell University students that built this car for the inaugural Ford Hybrid Electric Vehicle Challenge, which it won.
 

Aerosol pyrolysis
   

Aerosol pyrolysis is an inexpensive and scalable method of depositing films. Shown above is an X-ray diffraction pattern of an epitaxial YBCO film produced using a deposition system that I built. This work will soon be revived for use with another material.
 

Zinc oxide nanorods
   

Some kinds of oxide nanostructures can be grown using a simple vapor transport method. The pictures show some zinc oxide nanorods grown in this way.
 

Misspent youth

Bloodletter
 

Bloodletter was the first “robot” that I built. It won the Lightweight Melee event at the first Robot Wars.

 

Bloodletter Jr.
   

Bloodletter Jr. didn’t win anything, but was the first robot to walk successfully during a Robot Wars contest.
 

Trilobot
 

Trilobot was moderately competitive, being ranked as high as 13th out of about 150 in its class in the BattleBots ranking system.