Transient magnetostatic simulation and experimental verification of an electromagnetic coil launcher

This paper presents the transient magnetostatic and experimental verification of an electromagnetic launch. The proposed launcher and its excitation circuit were designed for launching small objects few meters. The detailed design principles for the proposed excitation circuit are presented. A transient simulation for the projectile motion through the launcher was done using transient finite element commercial software ANSYS MAXWELL. Also a comparative comparison between different projectile materials is introduced. The results illustrate good agreement between the simulated and measured projectile exit speed. For the selected iron material, the simulated exit speed is about 13.6 m/sec neglecting air drag. On the other hand, the experimental results confirm that the launched object satisfies an average speed of about 11 m/sec.