Experimental analysis of a two-section linear induction launcher

In order to study the transient behavior of the capacitor-driven linear induction launcher, the two-section linear induction launcher with 18 coils was simulated and tested. Firstly, According to the principles of the mesh-matrix method, a lumped parameter transient model for analyzing the dynamic conditions was established, and the simulation code was programmed by MATLAB. Secondly, the different initial positions of sleeve in the first section and the second section which affected the muzzle velocity were studied, and a better initial position for discharging was obtained. Finally, the control system diagram for a two-section linear induction launcher was described, and the simulation and testing results of three-phase capacitor currents and muzzle velocity were compared with each other. The experimental results reveal that the design performance can be achieved by accelerating a 300 gram projectile to a muzzle velocity of 142 m/s. The energy transfer ration is about 9.7%. The experimental results are well in agreement with simulation, and provide a base for the optimizing the design of the multi-section launcher and hyper-velocity design.