A Comparison of C-Shaped and Brush Armature Performance

The most important part of a railgun launch package is the armature where the electromagnetic force is generated leading to the acceleration of the launch package. In case of metal armatures, the most commonly used armature types are the C-shape and the multifiber brush technology. However, rarely both armature types were systematically compared under similar experimental conditions. That is why we constructed launch packages based on the C-shaped and brush armature technology with comparable armature and payload mass. With these launch packages, a series of experiments was performed in an energy range between 0.8 MJ and 1.13 MJ corresponding to a speed range between 950 m/s and 1400 m/s. The results of the experiments were then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. On the one hand, our results showed that the total losses are higher for the C-shaped armature technology than for the brush armature technology. On the other hand, our results showed that launch packages based on the C-shaped technology convert better electrical energy into kinetic energy.