Electromagnetic launcher with advanced rail and barrel design

摘要

An improved electromagnetic launcher (10; 98; 150) has a barrel (20; 100) formed by at least one pair of bus-bars (30, 32; 102, 104; 156, 158; 184, 184, 188, 190) to transport current longitudinally along the barrel. The barrel includes a bore (36; 108) which is spaced from the bus-bars by a bore structure (34; 106). The bore structure guides an elongated, tapered metal armature (44; 122; 164) through the bore. The current to the armature passes from the bus-bars through an array of deformable contactors (54, 55; 110, 112) disposed near the bore walls and in series with resistors (60, 62, 64, 66; 114, 116, 118, 120). The resistors distribute current and electromagnetic driving force along the armature. A conductive implodable shield (130) confines the bore structure and the bus-bars to impede repulsion of the bus-bars and to compress the magnetic flux between the shield walls and the bus-bars.