Lu Xiaoquan, Liu Shaowei, Du Xiangyu, Zheng Tianyou, Yang Kefeng
Air Force Engineering University, Xi'an, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07520-6.
Electromagnetic-thermal-mechanical coupling in high-speed current-carrying of armature and rail (A/R) sliding interface, which leads to armature melting and erosion, is a key challenge that restricts the performance of electromagnetic launch. In this study, a staged modeling method is adopted to construct a mathematical model of heat distribution and heat transfer during the armature pre-melting and post-melting phases. The study considers the multifactorial influences of contact resistance on the non-ideal rough surface, transient kinematic characteristics of the A/R, and loading pressure. The study also proposed a numerical computational method for fully implicit fast iterative tracking of the moving boundary of the molten layer, and systematically analyzed the melting process. The results show that the Joule heat at low speed is the key factor leading to the occurrence of armature melting, while the friction heat at high speed conditions has a significant effect on the armature maximum erosion depth when exiting the launcher. Measures such as the use of gallium-based liquid metal to prepare armature coatings or wear-resistant aluminum alloy materials can effectively alleviate the A/R interface damage problem. The research results provide a certain degree of revelation of the complex melting and erosion mechanism and the reliability design of the electromagnetic launching system.
电枢与轨道（A/R）滑动界面高速载流时的电磁-热-机械耦合会导致电枢熔化和侵蚀，这是制约电磁发射性能的关键挑战。本研究采用分段建模方法，构建了电枢预熔化和后熔化阶段热分布与热传递的数学模型。该研究考虑了非理想粗糙表面上接触电阻、A/R的瞬态运动特性和加载压力的多因素影响。研究还提出了一种用于完全隐式快速迭代跟踪熔层移动边界的数值计算方法，并系统地分析了熔化过程。结果表明，低速时的焦耳热是导致电枢熔化的关键因素，而高速条件下的摩擦热对电枢离开发射器时的最大侵蚀深度有显著影响。使用镓基液态金属制备电枢涂层或耐磨铝合金材料等措施可有效缓解A/R界面损伤问题。研究结果对电磁发射系统复杂的熔化和侵蚀机理及可靠性设计有一定的启示作用。
