Numerical simulation of a complete generator-rail launch system

In this paper, the numerical analysis of a complete launch package, composed by a homopolar generator feeding a rail launcher, is described. Because of the nonlinear and time varying characteristics of both generators and launchers, a separate analysis of the two devices is not always able to provide highly accurate previsions about the performance of the overall system. The analysis has been performed here by using an integral formulation that transforms the Maxwell´s equations into an equivalent electric network, whose parameters vary together with the evolution of the system. The presence of sliding contacts and the consequent velocity skin effect in both the generator and the launcher have been taken into account. The most important electromechanical quantities have been reported; the results of the simulations shows the effectiveness of the software used for this coupled analysis.