An Electromagnetic Rail Launcher by Quadrupole Magnetic Field for Heavy Intelligent Projectiles

This paper presents a new rail launcher based on a rupole magnetic field. This novel propulsion concept is adopted for launching heavy intelligent projectile. The interaction between the magnetic field and the armature current results in the generation of a large thrust. The thrust acts on the armature where the intelligent projectile is loaded without magnetic shielding, and pushes it forward. The configuration of the rails is given in this paper. Numerical analysis and the finite-element model are adopted to validate the properties of the magnetic field in the launch tube. The current and magnetic field distribution in the armature are simulated in ANSYS Maxwell 3-D and based on which the armature's structure is designed. The thrusts as function of the rail distance and current are presented. The results show that the proposed rail launcher can project sensitive devices because of its magnetic field features and it can provide abundant thrust for heavy projectile, as well as good stability in launch process.