Study of Properties of the Double-Deck Rail in the Electromagnetic Launching System

Based on the fact that the double-deck rail demonstrates excellent performance in preventing rails melting and gouging during electromagnetic launch tests, theory and simulation research studies were carried out on the lateral vibration of the double-deck rail and contact properties between the armature and the rail in this paper. We deduced the lateral vibration contact equations of the double-deck rail by simplifying the electromagnetic rail launcher as Bernoulli-Euler model based on the elastic foundation. A finite-element code was used to help us model the launch progress. The influence of the double-deck rail scheme has been analyzed. Both the characteristics of the contact surface between the rail and the armature and the displacement of the rail were considered. The results show that the double-deck rail can inhibit the propagation of bending waves and efficiently reduce rail gouging. Besides, the connection method of the two decks has much influence on this effect.