Investigation of Gyroscopic Stabilization for Single-Stage Saddle Sextupole Field Electromagnetic Launcher

Abstract

This paper presents a novel single-stage saddle multipole field electromagnetic launching mode for the realization of projectile linear acceleration with gyroscopic stabilization. The hollow cylindrical projectile with three symmetrical vertical slots can change the eddy current and magnetic field density distribution on the projectile surface. When twisted an angle relative to saddle multipole coils along the circumference, the projectile will be linear accelerated with spinning motion under the action of pulse current. In this paper, analytical calculations and simulation methods were used to analysis this mode, the simulation results indicated that the axial acceleration force and circumferential torque acting on the projectile were generated simultaneously, and an optimal initial twisted angle was existed to make the muzzle rotation speed reach peak. To verify the conceptual feasibility, a single-stage saddle sextupole field electromagnetic launcher was built and tested. The experiment demonstrate that the mode is indeed possible to realize the projectile linear acceleration moving with the gyroscopic stabilization, launching performance can be adjusted by changing the initial voltage or twisted angle, and the experimental results are accordant with the simulation results.