Muzzle Arc Flow Field Simulation of a Small Caliber Launcher

Muzzle arc is a general phenomenon when the armature leaves the muzzle, and it is also a reason for the complexity of intermediate ballistic of electromagnetic launchers. In this article, a 3-D model has been developed to investigate muzzle arc flow field in a smaller caliber launcher. The coupled i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on plasma science 2022-02, Vol.50 (2), p.510-516
Main Authors: Zhao, Weikang, Tian, Wen, Yuan, Weiqun, Yan, Ping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric modeling
Boundary conditions
Breakdown
Compression waves
Electric potential
Electromagnetic launch
Electromagnetics
Expansion
Fluid flow
intermediate ballistic
Launchers
Longitudinal waves
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Magnetohydrodynamics
Mathematical models
muzzle arc
Rails
Simulation
Solid modeling
Three dimensional models
Turbulence models
Voltage
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Summary:Muzzle arc is a general phenomenon when the armature leaves the muzzle, and it is also a reason for the complexity of intermediate ballistic of electromagnetic launchers. In this article, a 3-D model has been developed to investigate muzzle arc flow field in a smaller caliber launcher. The coupled interaction of electromagnetic, flow, and thermal fields is realized by the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory in conjunction with a renormalization group (RNG) k - \varepsilon turbulence model. The arc boundary conditions, arc root radius, and time-dependent current density are reasonably set on the basis of the experimental data and physical process. Simulation results reveal the relationship between muzzle arc and muzzle voltage. The rising edge of muzzle voltage corresponds to the arc expansion stage. The falling edge corresponds to the muzzle breakdown stage. And the turning point from rising edge to falling edge is the moment of muzzle breakdown. The flat section corresponds to the arc extinguishing stage. The muzzle blowback is the consequence of the arc expansion which produces a compression wave moving toward the breech. The velocity of blowback flow decreases from 670 to 270 m/s during the arc expansion stage. Then, it increases to about 350 m/s and tends to be stable due to the muzzle breakdown.
ISSN:0093-3813
1939-9375
DOI:10.1109/TPS.2022.3143132