Wear Characteristics of Rail–Armature Under the Action of Interference Fit and Lorentz Force

During the launching process of the railgun, the armature and the rail are affected by the electromagnetic force and the pretightening force. Friction wear occurs on the electrical contact surface of rail-armature, which seriously affects the launching efficiency and the device lifetime. To investigate the influence of the electromagnetic force and pretightening force on contact characteristics and wear, a 3-D simulation model was established. The results show that the contact force is mainly provided by Lorentz force during the launching process. The maximum contact pressure is distributed on both sides of armature tail. At the same time, it is also the location of wear concentration. The interference has a significant effect on the wear volume, and preferably between 0.2 and 0.25 mm. The rail-armature wear mechanism can be understood well. This article provides a means of controlling and mitigating the wear of the rail-armature.