Electromagnetic launchers
Abstract
Recent advances in energy storage, switching and magnet technology make electromagnetic acceleration a viable alternative to chemical propulsion for certain tasks, and a means to perform other tasks not previously feasible. Applications include the acceleration of gram-size particles for hypervelocity research and the initiation of fusion by impact, a replacement for chemically propelled artillery, the transportation of cargo and personnel over inaccessible terrain, and the launching of space vehicles to supply massive space operations, and for the disposal of nuclear waste. The simplest launcher of interest is the railgun, in which a short-circuit slide or an arc is driven along two rails by direct current. The most sophisticated studied thus far is the mass driver, in which a superconducting shuttle bucket is accelerated by a line of pulse coils energized by capacitors at energy conversion efficiencies better than 90%. Other accelerators of interest include helical, brush-commutated motors, discrete coil arc commutated drivers, flux compression momentum transformers, and various hybrid electrochemical devices.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
- Pub Date:
- September 1980
- DOI:
- 10.1109/TMAG.1980.1060806
- Bibcode:
- 1980ITM....16..719K
- Keywords:
-
- Chemical Propulsion;
- Electromagnetic Propulsion;
- Hypervelocity Guns;
- Missile Launchers;
- Space Transportation System;
- Cargo Ships;
- Direct Current;
- Electrochemical Machining;
- Electromagnets;
- Hypervelocity Launchers;
- Engineering (General)