Stress analysis of the rails of a new high velocity armature design in an electromagnetic launcher

In an electromagnetic launcher, the magnetic field creates a dynamic force that moves the armature forward. In an electromagnetic launcher, the armature reaches a critical velocity during the launch which causes high amplitude stress and strain. In addition, high stress and strain damage the rails and reduces its life span. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of armature velocity as well as the rails physical and geometrical properties on the dynamic response of the rails in an electromagnetic launcher. In this study the second moment of inertia of the rails cross-section, Young modulus, foundation stiffness and density of the rails are constant in location and time. In our formulation of governing non-linear differential equations, Maxwell equations and deflection equation are applied to the rails under dynamic loading. To solve the non-linear governing differential equations a finite difference method is utilized.