Coilgun Structures

Abstract

Research on coilguns at the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin (CEM-UT) has yielded considerable insight into the optimal design of coilgun structures. This research has indicated that the structural requirements are strong functions of launcher classification as well as acceleration mode. As a result, CEM-UT has built and tested the DC coaxial accelerator (DCA) coilgun, which is a multistage pulsed induction launcher that makes extensive use of composite material technology. The author presents analytical techniques (closed-form and numerical) used to make structural design calculations in the DCA launcher. The evolution of the multiturn wound DCA armature design is discussed. In addition, measured plastic deformation of this armature after a high-energy experiment is compared to that predicted by finite element analysis