Electrothermal design aspects of transitioning solid armatures

To optimize erosion-free rail accelerator launch of solid brush armatures, a two-dimensional and an analytical model are used to study the temperature distribution, the coefficient of friction, and the transitioning behavior of U-shaped solid armatures made of copper, aluminum, molybdenum, and titanium during electromagnetic launch. In order to verify the insights gained from these theoretical studies experimentally, diagnostic methods are applied. In particular, the growth potential of solid armatures for weapons applications is highlighted by considering such materials as titanium and molybdenum. It is shown that by choosing the appropriate armature material and angle of the trailing edge of the armature, it is possible to delay melting near the rail-armature interface substantially. Molybdenum and titanium U-shaped armatures are shown to be good candidates for achieving arc erosion-free launching at hypervelocities