Analysis of Sliding Contact of Armature Inside the Horizontal Curved Rails in Electromagnetic Railgun

Design and Experimental Study of a Curved Contact Quadrupole Railgun

“…At present, researchers mainly improve the contact characteristics of railguns by enhancing the properties of rail materials. Xie H et al reviewed the development of materials used for railguns in recent years; Lin Q. H et al studied the damage caused by railgun operation and analyzed the plastic deformation and fatigue fracture of the rail through simulation [15]; Yao J studied the melting process of the rail and analyzed the effect of current and speed on the effect of the phase change of the rail [16]; Davidson G et al improved traditional rail made of copper material to enhance the hardness of the rail [17]; Chen Y analyzed the sliding contact characteristics between the aluminum alloy armature and the rail of different materials [18]; Wen Y, Keshtkar et al studied the effect of material properties on the electrical characteristics of the railgun [19,20]. The above studies have effectively improved the performance of railguns, but so far, they have not been able to completely solve the two main problems encountered in the engineering of railguns.…”