An Approximate Analysis of Balloting Motion of Railgun Projectiles
Abstract
This is the final of three reports dealing with the in-bore balloting motion of a projectile fired from an electromagnetic railgun. Knowledge of projectile in-bore motion is important to its design and the design of the railgun. It is a complicated problem since many parameters are involved and it is not easy to determine the interacting relationships between them. To make the problem easier to understand it was analyzed on several levels. Beginning from the basic simple model which computed only the axial motion, more complicated models were introduced in upper levels that included the more significant lateral forces and gun tube vibration effects. This report deals with the approximate analysis of balloting motion. This model considers the effects of the propulsion force, the friction force of the projectile package (projectile and armature), air resistance, gravity, the elastic forces, and the projectile/ barrel clearance. To simplify the modeling, a plane motion configuration is assumed. Though the projectile is moving with a varying yaw angle, the axes of the barrel and the projectile package, and the projectile center of gravity are always considered in a plane containing the centerlines of the rails. Equations of motion are derived and solved. A sample computation is performed and the results plotted to give a clearer understanding of projectile in-bore motion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA237942
Entities
People
- Szu H. Chu
Organizations
- United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center