Calculation of Rail Gun Parameters and Performance Prediction

Abstract

This paper presents the efficient optimal design model of Rail Gun. There are conflicting design goals which are to minimize weight and to maximize performance. The compromise of the two design goals is the critical point for the Rail Gun design. For example, if only mechanical viewpoints were considered for the weight optimal design, the system performance could be decreased. Therefore, a suitable electrical constraint which is significant relative to the system performance must be considered. In addition to optimal design, for the performance prediction of this model, a mathematical model of the Rail Gun is derived from the equivalent circuit and Newton's Law. The circuit parameters, inductance and resistance, are calculated by the F.E.M. and analytical method respectively. At the end of this study, the efficiency of the proposed optimal design model is confirmed by the performance Prediction.