Optimization design for rail structure of railgun

Abstract

The requirements in the design of railgun are analyzed in connection with the working states including the action integral and armature speed of the railgun. Based on rated bore and current, the inductance gradient can be indirectly calculated by the way of calculating the maximum electromagnetic force by Ansoft software, and then the launching efficiency will be increased indirectly by optimizing the height and width of railway and improving the inductance gradient of railgun to get a maximum electromagnetic force.

A review of static/quasi-static calculations of Electromagnetic-thermal coupling sliding electrical contact characteristics of armature and rails

“…Various armature structures have been proposed in the development history of electromagnetic railguns: block armature, brush armature, layered armature, C-shaped armature, etc., and the C-shaped armature is commonly used at present [39]. Many studies have optimized the structural parameters such as armature arm length, tail thickness, and tail inclination of C-shaped armatures to improve contact pressure and current density distribution to enhance contact performance [41][42]. Several factors must be considered in armature design, including mechanical design, current distribution, heat and mass minimization.…”