Bus Impact on the Inductance Distribution of Electromagnetic Launchers

Simulations are crucial in the electromagnetic launcher (EML) researches on account of extreme physical conditions. More energy into the system adds weight to the model’s accuracy as the operation risk rises. In this paper, the electromagnetic impact of the bus structure is discovered in a recently developed EMFY-3 electromagnetic launcher, is presented. An H-shaped bus structure is used for current injection. However, experiments showed that the H-shaped bus changes inductance calculations. A careful examination is made to reveal the physical reasoning of the bus impact. We hypothesize that the rail portion surrounded with bus geometry has less inductance than the rest due to the eddy current created by rail current transients, which should be calculated carefully through numerical calculations, i.e., 3-D Finite Element Method (FEM). Two different simulation models were constructed to test the hypothesis. Moreover, rail currents, breech, and muzzle voltages are measured to investigate electromagnetic calculations. Results showed a good agreement with experiments where the bus structure was modeled explicitly. That aspect showed that the bus structure should be well-examined when multiple PPS are connected.