The reasons for the heavy mass losses usually observed to occur
from various parts of recovered solid armatures, even in cases where there
was no transition, remain unclear. We earlier suggested that the losses
could result from strong non-uniformities in the distribution of
thermodynamic, electrical and dynamic parameters in the body of the
accelerating armature, the so-called TED effects. As a consequence, some
surface areas of the armature can break away from the main body to be
either ejected forward or to lag behind by inertia. This paper presents
ultra-high-speed camera sequences demonstrating continuous inertial mass
loss from the root of a C-shaped armature, where local current
concentration gives rise to a strong heating of the material. The mass loss
is particularly intensive when launched on the rails coated by an In-Ga
eutectic. This may imply that the current concentration is stronger in the
rear part of the armature contact surfaces.