Influence of Caliber Height on Armature Current Melt Erosion in Rail Gun

Keeping good electrical contact at the armature/rail interface and the structural integrity of the armature during electromagnetic launching is critical to its performance. In this article, the influence of armature height on the erosion of armature's tail is studied through experiments. The results of the armature current melt erosion (CME) of different linear current densities are summarized. For armatures with lower height, the CME tends to develop vertically, which is not conducive to keeping the structural integrity of the armature. For armature with higher height, the CME develops from the middle position of the armatures' tails to both horizontal and vertical directions. In this article, the finite element software COMSOL is used to analyze the initial contact position of the armature/rail and the current density distribution of the armature/rail interface. The reasons for the starting position of armature CME and the differences in the morphology of armature CME in three different heights are explained. Finally, from the theoretical point of view, the influencing factors of armature CME are analyzed.