Design and Simulation Results of a Multistage Induction Coilgun Using the Taguchi Method for Launching a 1000-Kg Projectile

Our previous design procedure for a multistage induction coilgun using the Taguchi method, which determined the turns and the layers of coil, was established and applied to a four-stage induction coilgun capable of launching a 100-kg projectile to a maximum velocity of 27.4 m/s. However, the ignition position, where the pulsed power is applied, is still not optimized yet even though the system purpose was accomplished. In this article, we suggest new design procedure and the control system for a multistage induction coilgun using the Taguchi method, which is capable to determine the ignition position concurrently with the turns and the layers, and the calibrated design was added to overcome the limitation of the Taguchi method. This new procedure is applied to design a four-stage induction coilgun for launching a 1000-kg projectile to a velocity above 20 m/s. The simulation results show that the design model was capable of launching a 1000-kg projectile to a maximum velocity of 26.43 m/s with a 6-kV charging voltage.