Effect of Bore Parameters and Effective Mass Ratio on Launcher Effective Efficiency

The electromagnetic rail launcher has the advantages of high muzzle velocity, long-range and controllability and has received extensive attention from researchers in various countries. The launcher efficiency reflects the ability of the launcher to convert electrical energy into kinetic energy of the load and is an important parameter of the electromagnetic rail launcher, which includes the launcher effective efficiency and launcher ineffective efficiency. The bore parameters and the effective mass ratio are important factors for the launcher efficiency. Finite element simulations and experiments were carried out to study the effects of rail separation, the convex arc height and the effective mass ratio on the launcher effective efficiency. Three conclusions were obtained. (1) The launcher effective efficiency increased with the growth of the effective mass ratio, the launcher effective efficiency rose from 7.91% to 17.17% when the effective mass ratio was in the range of 0.28~0.56, and the average value of the improvement in the launcher effective efficiency under different conditions of bore parameters is 8.24%. (2) The launcher effective efficiency rose with the increment in the rail separation. As the rail separation increased from 14 mm to 16 mm, the launcher effective efficiency improved by an average of 0.70%, and the increment in the launcher effective efficiency decreased with the growth of rail separation. (3) The launcher effective efficiency increased with the growth in the convex arc height. As the convex arc height rose from 0 mm to 1 mm, the launcher effective efficiency improved by 0.77% on average. Moreover, the muzzle velocity and the acceleration process of the armature in the bore were calculated. The conclusions were the same as the conclusions of the experiments.