Simulation and research on 3D gouging model based on Abaqus/Explicit

Gouges, which have teardrop-shaped patterns, have been observed on rocket sled tracks, in light gas gun barrels, and in the bore of railguns. In railguns, gouging damage can significantly decrease the useful life of rails. The paper aims to establish a simplified 3D gouging model to describe gouging damages in rails. In this model, the gouging was initiated by the use of a hemispherical asperity on the rail surface. The Johnson-Cook constitutive model represents the material models for the armature (AL-2024-T3) and the rail (Copper).Simulations of the armature/rail interactions were conducted using Abaqus/Explicit. Armature impacts with the rail were evaluated using various sling velocities, armature lengths and interface loads. Gouge size mainly depends on armature velocity and length, the higher sling velocity is, the wider gouge will be. Gouge length increases with longer armature, and interface load has litter effects on gouge size. These simulations match results observed in the experiments extremely well.