Modeling and simulation of muzzle flow field of railgun with metal vapor and arc

Abstract

During the electromagnetic railgun launching process, there will be a complex flow field with high temperature in the muzzle area because of the high-speed friction, transition and secondary arc-ignition. This paper models the muzzle area of railgun when the projectile is far away from the muzzle, and the dynamic simulation of the flow field with secondary arc in the muzzle area is carried out based on the magneto hydrodynamic equations. Meanwhile, a multi-component plasma transport model is used to analyze the muzzle arc plasma flow process of the mixed gas of Al vapor and the air. Furthermore, the pressure boundary conditions are fitted by the dynamic mesh simulation results. The current and voltage of the muzzle are obtained through the emission experiment of the railgun experimental prototype. We load the current data into the simulation model and the voltage of experiments and simulations are compared, which proves the accuracy of the simulation. Then the plasma temperature and the composition of Al vapor in the muzzle flow process are analyzed in-depth.