Factors Influencing the Expansion of Arch-Shaped Electromagnetic Railguns with Pre-Stressed Composite Barrels

Abstract

Rail expansion significantly impacts the launch precision of a railgun system. Higher precision can be achieved when the extent of expansion is low. This paper investigates three main factors that influence the extent of rail expansion using the finite element method, including pre-stress, electromagnetic load, and stiffness of the insulators. The mean squared error between experiment results and simulating results is less than 0.06, validating the finite element model. The simulated results reveal that the extent of rail expansion increases with a decrease in pre-stress and an increase in electromagnetic pressure and the stiffness of the insulator is the most significant influencing factor, as the use of a stiff insulator not only results in a small extent of rail expansion but also delays the separation between the rails and insulators. The mechanism of how pre-stress influences the railgun system has been proposed. It has been expressed that the pre-stress maintains the integrity of the railgun system by hindering the process of a decrease in the contact surface area between rails and insulators during launch. The study provides a platform to improve the design of the railgun system.

Stress and Deformation Analysis of Prestressed Wound Composite Components with an Arch-Shaped Metal Liner

“…Zu [28], employing the finite element method, investigated the stress distribution in prestressed filament wound components with arch-shaped sections, confirming the effectiveness of the employed model. Our research team further analyzed the influencing factors on the deformation of prestressed composite barrels with arch-shaped sections during the loading of an electromagnetic railgun [29].…”

“…Notably, the findings from Refs. [27,29] indicate that when the cross-sectional shape of an electromagnetic railgun barrel is arch-shaped, the rate of rail expansion is lower, leading to improved launch efficiency and accuracy. As a result, there is a critical need for a more thorough examination of the stress distribution in prestressed wound components with arch-shaped sections.…”