Electromagnetic-Mechanical Characteristics Study of a High-Speed Electromagnetic Launcher

The high-speed electromagnetic (EM) rail launcher has a wide range of applications. An inductive shunt device is usually paralleled with the rails of the launcher as an approach to limit the muzzle arc by transferring the extremely high armature current. The shunt parameters will significantly influence the rail current, armature velocity, and device stress conditions, which also makes the physical process more complicated. In this paper, a circuit-EM-mechanical coupled simulation model is developed to analyze the launching process. Based on this model, the influences of shunt impedance, armature resistance, and capacitor energy are investigated numerically. The EM force, stress conditions, and deformation of the shunt are studied as well. In addition, some launcher design suggestions are given according to the conclusion.