Investigations on the Influence of Augmented Rail Geometry on Rail Gun Design Parameters using Finite Element Method

Authors

  • M. N. Saravana Kumar Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering Kings Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1105-3899
  • R. Murugan Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • J. Lydia Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Easwari Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • S. Leones Sherwin Vimalraj Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/2024.ACES.J.400609

Keywords:

Current density, magnetic flux density, mutual inductance, repulsive force, velocity

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of augmented rail geometry on rail gun key parameters such as mutual inductance gradient between the main and augmented rail (M’), maximum current density, and maximum magnetic flux density distribution in the rail cross-section, as well as repulsive force acting on the rails. The research study was conducted using a rectangular main rail with several augmented rail designs, including rectangular T, rectangular E, rectangular U, rectangular Convex, and rectangular Concave under inward and outward modes. The ANSYS MAXWELL 2-D eddy current field solver, which computes the magnetic field distributions for a given configuration using the finite element method, was used to calculate the rail gun essential parameters. Using the obtained results, a comparison study was conducted. It was found that the rectangular main rail with the inward circular convex augmented form rail cross-section had a greater value of M’ than other geometries; hence, it could be utilized to increase the armature’s velocity.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

M. N. Saravana Kumar, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering Kings Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

M. N. Saravana Kumar received a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Bhajarang Engineering College, Chennai, India, in 2009. He received his master’s degree in Power electronics and drives from Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai, India, in 2013, and Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering department from St. Peter’s Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India, in 2019. His main areas of interest are power electronics and drives, electrical machine design, electromagnetic field computation and modelling.

 

R. Murugan, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

R. Murugan received bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, in April 1996. He received his master’s degree in High Voltage Engineering from College of Engineering, Anna University, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, in February 1999, and Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering department from Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2011. His main areas of interest are electromagnetic field and high voltage engineering.

J. Lydia, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Easwari Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

J. Lydiareceived the bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Easwari Engineering College, Chennai, India, in 2004. She received master’s degree in Power Electronics and Drives from the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Deemed University, in 2006, and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, India, in 2024. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Easwari Engineering College. Her areas of interest are electromagnetic fields and high-voltage engineering. She is a member of MISTE.

S. Leones Sherwin Vimalraj, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

S. Leones Sherwin Vimalraj is a Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai, India. He completed his B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Karunya Institute of Technology, Bharathiar University, India, in 2001. He obtained his M.E. in Optical Communication Engineering (2004) from College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, and Ph.D. degree in Wireless Communication Engineering (2015) from Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute, Deemed University, Chennai, India. His research areas include wireless communication, network engineering, computing and evolutionary algorithms. He is a member of IETE.

References

M. Asgari, M. B. Heydari, L. Gharib, A. Keshtkar, N. Jafari, and M. Zolfaghari, “A novel augmented railgun using permanent magnets,” Advanced Electromagnetics, vol. 8, pp. 99-105, 2019.

M. B. Heydari, M. Asgari, and A. Keshtkar, “A novel structure of augmented railgun using multilayer magnets and sabots,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 47, no. 7, pp. 3320-3325, July 2019.

M. Putnam, “An experimental study of electromagnetic Lorentz force and rail recoil,” Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA, Tech. Rep. 0704-0188, 2009.

R. Murugan and K. Udayakumar, “Effect of rail dimensions on rail gun design parameters,” in 2005 Annual IEEE India Conference - Indicon, pp. 623-626, 2005.

A. Keshtkar, “Effect of rail dimension on current distribution and inductance gradient,” IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 383-386, Jan. 2005.

M. S. Bayati and A. Keshtkar, “Study of the current distribution, magnetic field, and inductance gradient of rectangular and circular rail guns,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1376-1381, May 2013.

M. N. Saravana Kumar and R. Murugan, “Analysis of inductance gradient and current density distribution over different cross-section of rails,” International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, vol. 8, pp. 723-729,2018.

M. N. Saravana Kumar, R. Murugan, and S. Poorani, “Inductance gradient and current density distribution for T-shaped convex and concave rail cross-sections,” International Journal of Engineering & Technology (UAE), vol. 7, no. 01, pp. 237-240, 2018.

J. Lydia, R. Karpagam, and R. Murugan, “A novel technique for dynamic analysis of an electromagnetic rail launcher using FEM coupled with Simplorer,” Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES) Journal, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 229-237, Feb. 2022.

M. S. Bayati and A. Keshtkar, ”Study of the current distribution, magnetic field, and inductance gradient of rectangular and circular railguns,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1376-1381, May 2013.

A. Keshtkar, L. Gharib, M. S. Bayati, and M. Abbasi, “Simulation of a two-turn railgun and comparison between a conventional railgun and a two-turn railgun by 3-D FEM,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1392-1397, May 2013.

M. S. Bayati and A. Keshtkar, ”Novel study of the rail’s geometry in the electromagnetic launcher,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 1652-1656, May 2015.

A. Keshtkar, L. Gharib, M. S. Bayati, and M. Abbasi, “Simulation of a two-turn railgun and comparison between a conventional railgun and atwo-turnrailgunby3-DFEM,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1392-1397, May 2013.

J. Gallant, “Parametric study of an augmented railgun,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 39, pp. 451-455, 2003.

J. Gallant and P. Lehmann, “Experiments with brush projectiles in a parallel augmented railgun,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 188-193, Jan. 2005.

Z. Su, W. Guo, Z. Dong, J. Yang, H. Zhang, and W. Zhou, “Design and simulation of a large muzzle kinetic energy railgun,” in 2012 16th International Symposium on Electromagnetic Launch Technology, Beijing, China, pp. 1-4, 2012.

T. Watt and M. Crawford, “Experimental results from a two-turn 40 mm railgun,” in 2008 14th Symposium on Electromagnetic Launch Technology, Victoria, BC, Canada, pp. 1-6,2008.

E. Poltanov, A. K. Kondratenko, A. P. Glinov, and V. N. Ryndin, “Multi-turn railguns: Concept analysis and experimental results,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 457-461, Jan. 2001.

M. Coffo and J. Gallant, “Modeling and analysis of the current distribution between the brushes of a multiple brush projectile in a parallel augmented railgun,” in 2008 IEEE International Power Modulators and High-Voltage Conference, Las Vegas, NV, USA, pp. 419-422, 2008.

M. Coffo and J. Gallant, “Modelling of a parallel augmented railgun with Pspice validation of the model and optimization of the augmenting circuit,” in 2007 16th IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference, Albuquerque, NM, USA, pp. 1814-1817, 2007.

S. Mozafari and M. S. Bayati, “Design and simulation of a slice-rail and cylindrical for multi-projectile electromagnetic launchers: electromagnetic,” Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES) Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 214-223, Mar. 2023.

M. Roch, S. Hundertmark, M. Löffler, and P. Zacharias, “First experiment with the modular augmented staged electromagnetic launcher,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 3239-3244, Oct. 2014.

M. Roch, S. Hundertmark, M. Löffler, and P. Zacharias, “Augmented electromagnetic accelerators: Technical solutions and new ideas,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 41, no. 10, pp. 2810-2814, Oct. 2013.

M. J. Loeffler and F. Zellmer, “Augmented three phase AC railgun: Basic considerations,” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 249-253, Jan. 2023.

A. Keshtkar, S. Bayati, and A. Keshtkar, ”Effect of rail’s material on railgun inductance gradient and losses,” in 2008 14th Symposium on Electromagnetic Launch Technology, pp. 1-4, 2008.

K. Hsieh, “A Lagrangian formulation for mechanically, thermally coupled electromagnetic diffusive processes with moving conductors,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 604-609, Jan. 1995.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

[1]
M. N. S. . Kumar, R. . Murugan, J. . Lydia, and S. L. S. . Vimalraj, “Investigations on the Influence of Augmented Rail Geometry on Rail Gun Design Parameters using Finite Element Method”, ACES Journal, vol. 40, no. 06, pp. 564–570, Jun. 2025.

Issue

2025: Vol 40 Iss 6

Section

General Submission

Categories