Numerical simulation of interior ballistic process of railgun based on the multi-field coupled model

Railgun launcher design relies on appropriate models. A multi-field coupled model of railgun launcher was presented in this paper. The 3D transient multi-field was composed of electromagnetic field, thermal field and structural field. The magnetic diffusion equations were solved by a finite-element boundary-element coupling method. The thermal diffusion equations and structural equations were solved by a finite element method. A coupled calculation was achieved by the transfer data from the electromagnetic field to the thermal and structural fields. Some characteristics of railgun shot, such as velocity skin effect, melt-wave erosion and magnetic sawing, which are generated under the condition of large-current and high-speed sliding electrical contact, were demonstrated by numerical simulation.

Analysis and discussion on launching mechanism and tactical electromagnetic railgun technology

This paper begins with a discussion on the significance of multi-physical fields in the research of railgun launching mechanism, followed by an introduction of research work about dynamic measurements and numerical simulations. The application of some measurement methods including the atomic emission spectrum, fiber-optic strain, optical level, pulsed X-ray, and high-speed video in observing the launching process was introduced. The models about the electromechanical dynamic processes and multi-physical fields in a railgun were developed. The mechanisms of the grooving, arc transition, and gouging were analyzed. These work provided a deeper understanding of launching mechanism of electromagnetic railgun. Some issues about the tactical railgun, such as the fiber composite overwrapped barrel, recoil,loading modes and eddy current loss were also discussed. Taking a medium-caliber launcher as an example, the basic process of design and analysis was introduced.

Numerical simulation of dynamic large deformation and fracture damage for solid armature in electromagnetic railgun

The design of solid armature of railgun should take full account of its operating conditions and material properties because the armature is subjected to dynamic loading conditions and experiences a complicated electrical,thermal and mechanical process in the interior ballistic cycle.In this paper present,we first introduced a multi-physical field model of railgun,followed by several examples to investigate the launching process.Especially,we used the explicit finite element method,in which material nonlinearity and geometric nonlinearity were accounted,to investigate the deform behaviors of solid armature.The results show that the dynamic mechanical process of armature is dependent on the armature geometry,material and exciting electric current.By the numerical simulation,the understanding of the fracture mechanism of solid armature was deepened.

3D numerical simulation and analysis of railgun gouging mechanism

A gouging phenomenon with a hypervelocity sliding electrical contact in railgun not only shortens the rail lifetime but also affects the interior ballistic performance. In this paper, a 3-D numerical model was introduced to simulate and analyze the generation mechanism and evolution of the rail gouging phenomenon. The results show that a rail surface bulge is an important factor to induce gouging. High density and high pressure material flow on the contact surface, obliquely extruded into the rail when accelerating the armature to a high velocity, can produce gouging. Both controlling the bulge size to a certain range and selecting suitable materials for rail surface coating will suppress the formation of gouging. The numerical simulation had a good agreement with experiments, which validated the computing model and methodology are reliable.

An optimization method for passive muzzle arc control devices in augmented railguns

In this paper,a passive muzzle arc control device(PMACD)of the augmented railguns is studied.By discussing its performance at different numbers of extra rails,a parameter optimization model is proposed.Through the calculation model,it is found that the PMACD works well in the simple railgun,which refers to the gun that there is only one pair of rails in the inner bore.The PMACD may decrease the simple railgun’s armature peak current and muzzle arc,but affect its muzzle velocity not much.However,in the augmented railguns it has different characteristics.If the parameters of the PMACD are not selected suitable.It may increase the armature peak current and muzzle arc,but greatly decrease the velocity.The reason for this problem is that the extra rails generate a strong magnetic field in front of the armature,which induces a large current to change the armature current.It is also found that when the resistance and inductance parameters of the PMACD satisfy with the optimization formula,the PMACD can also play a good role in arc suppression in the augmented railguns.Experiments of an augmented railgun with a stainless steel PMACD are carried out to verify this optimization method.Results show that the muzzle arc is obviously controlled.This work may provide a reference for the design of the muzzle arc control device.