Numerical modeling of melt-wave erosion in two-dimensional block armatures

The majority of published work on the transition to arcing contact in solid-armature railguns has focused on modeling the current melt wave, a localized front of molten material that erodes the perimeter of the armature. The most frequently cited models are based on two-dimensional (2-D) analytical formulations in which the dominant source of current concentration is due to the velocity skin effect (VSE). This paper compares the predictions of three such models with a 2-D numerical simulation that includes the effects of VSE, melting, and loss of molten material.