Field‐circuit coupled analysis of an electromagnetic launcher sliding contact

Abstract

Under the extreme working conditions of high‐speed and high‐current sliding electrical contact, if an electromagnetic launcher's rails and armature are not in good contact, transition ablation may occur, which will reduce the life of the rails. Though the transition state can be evaluated based on the muzzle voltage waveform, the conventional lumped circuit model does not take into account the strong coupling relationship of the multi‐physical fields in the launching process—in particular, there is a lack of analysis of the melt wear of the armature. To overcome this challenge, a novel approach based on the field‐circuit coupled method is proposed in this study to analyze the performance of armature‐rail contact. First, the basic principle of the co‐simulation model was introduced. The circuit model, the electromagnetic field model, the temperature field model, and the armature‐rail contact force model were then built. Compared with the conventional circuit model, the field‐circuit coupled model presented in this paper can better analyze the transient changes of the contact performance and obtain more details of multi‐physical fields. Besides, the contact performance under different interference were compared through our proposed method. The method proposed in this study comprehensively considers the influence of the velocity skin effect, armature‐rail interference assembly, and the melt wear of the armature on the performance of armature‐rail contacts. The study can provide effective theoretical guidance for conducting performance analysis and designing the armature for an electromagnetic rail launcher. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.