Study On The Armature In The Induction Coil Electromagnetic Launcher

As a new type of acceleration way, the Induction Coil Electromagnetic Launcher (ICEL) has many advantages such as high speed, short acceleration time and massive carrying. The ICEL has a number of potential applications in the fields of aerospace, high-energy physics and nuclear energy. Many countries are increasing investment on the research and development of the ICEL.Some key subjects of the ICEL such as synchronous control, armature temperature, energy utilization efficiency and mechanical stability are related to the armature of the system which was emphasized to analyze and study in this thesis. The main contents are focused on armature material, armature structure and armature mechanical stability.Based on the theoretical analysis of the ICEL, a series of equations which include the system current, the eddy current of armature and the deformation of armature were established. A circuit—magnetic—structure coupling analysis model was built with the FEM software for some researches of the ICEL including the armature structure selection. A comparison of different metals (Al, Cu, Ag, Fe, Ni and W) on the armature speed and the energy utilization efficiency has been completed. In addition, the influence of the structure parameters on the mechanical stress and the reinforcement way of armature were also analyzed with the model.Finally, based on the analyses above, an improved sleeve armature which has thickened bottom and top slotted structure was designed. The simulation result proved that this new armature not only keeps the armature acceleration but also effectively decreases the armature deformation.