Block Diagram Model for the Simulation of an Electromagnetic Rail Accelerator System

Rail accelerators are superior to classical gas-driven accelerators with regard to attainable terminal velocity, ignition delay variation, and controllability. The behavior is generally described with a system of nonlinear differential equations, which can be solved in many ways. This is done in order to describe an existing launcher, to predict its performance when parameters change, or to estimate the properties of such a system in the design phase. This paper presents a simplified electromechanical system of differential equations in a novel form. This form enables scientists to solve the equations using one of the following software: Scilab, MATLAB, or a similar one. The model is robust and parameter changes have a low impact on the solving time. This makes it a reliable tool for parametric studies. The model comprises pulsed power capacitors, the pulse-forming network, cables, and the launcher itself. At first, the electrical part is described with its circuit equivalent and coupled with the mechanical process. Second, the system is analytically transposed to a standard form. This form is then transferred into the simulation software, which solves the equations. It can simply be adapted to other launchers and modified to comprise nonlinear side effects. The simulation results are compared with experimental results from the augmented rail accelerator at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis, France.