Study on the Tail Structure of a C-Type Armature in the Nonequal-Cross-Section Cantilever Model

It is necessary to maintain adequate contact pressure between the rail and armature for avoiding transition in solid armature railgun. At the current buildup stage, this contact pressure is often provided by deformation of solid armatures. In this paper, a nonequal-cross-section cantilever model of a monolithic C-type armature's tail is proposed firstly. Then an equation of the deflection curve associated with tail structural parameters is established. Based on the requirements of the mechanical interference pressure, the relation between structure of armature tail and deflection curve is established. Furthermore, the relation between interference pressure and structure of armature tail is discussed. The results show that reasonable design of armature tail structure can meet the requirement of mechanical interference pressure at the current ramp-up stage. Based on the nonequal-cross-section cantilever model, several kinds of armatures are designed. In certain circumstances, serious arcing is eliminated by using the designed armature in launch experiments with muzzle speed up to 2500 m/s.