railgun

1. Content

Electromagnetic cannon is an electromagnetic launch system that uses electromagnetic force instead of gunpowder explosion force to accelerate projectiles. It mainly consists of four parts: power supply, high-speed switch, acceleration device, and projectile. In this exhibition item, when the audience approaches it, they will be attracted by its grand and beautiful exterior design. When participating, first take out a small steel ball from the pick-up port, install it into the barrel, rotate the rocker wheel, adjust the orientation of the barrel to align it with the target, press the button at the trigger position, and fire the steel ball out. After the steel ball is launched, it falls into the trapezoidal storage device and can be recycled, reducing resource waste.

Electromagnetic guns use the work done by electromagnetic force as launch energy, without generating strong shock waves or diffuse smoke, thus having good concealment. Electromagnetic guns can select and adjust the appropriate firing energy based on the nature and distance of the target.

2. Principle

In the 19th century, British scientist Faraday discovered Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, which states that charges and currents in a magnetic field are subject to Lorentz force. This means that a wire located in a magnetic field will be pushed by a force when it is energized. At the same time, if a wire is made to cut magnetic field lines in a magnetic field, a current will also be generated on the wire. At the beginning of the 20th century, someone proposed the idea of using Lorentz force to launch shells. During the two World Wars, France, Germany, and Japan all studied electromagnetic guns. After World War II, other countries also conducted research in this area.

The first person to formally propose the concept of electromagnetic launch/electromagnetic cannon and conduct experiments was Professor Birkeland of Physics at the University of Oslo in Norway. He obtained the patent for "electric artillery" in 1901. In 1920, Fr é d é ric Villeneuve of France published an article titled "Electric Artillery". At almost the same time, the electric artillery company in Philadelphia, USA, developed an electromagnetic accelerator for artillery. During World War II, stimulated by military demand, both Germany and Japan developed electromagnetic guns. Hansley of Germany once accelerated a 10 gram projectile to an initial velocity of 1.2 kilometers per second using an electromagnetic gun.

In the early 1970s, the Australian National University built the first electromagnetic launch device, which accelerated 3-gram plastic blocks (shells) to a speed of 6000 meters per second. Afterwards, Australian and American scientists manufactured different types of experimental prototypes and conducted multiple launch experiments. The electromagnetic gun powered by a unipolar generator can accelerate a 318 gram projectile to a speed of 4200 meters per second. The magnetic flux compression electromagnetic gun is capable of accelerating a 2-gram projectile to a speed of 11000 meters per second.

In 1992, the United States had sent a 90mm caliber electromagnetic cannon sample with a muzzle energy of 9 megajoules to the Yuma shooting range for testing. The transition of electromagnetic guns from the laboratory to the shooting range demonstrates that there has been a breakthrough in miniaturization technology for power sources.

3. Purpose

The exhibition items allow the audience to experience the charm of electromagnetic guns through electromechanical interaction, understand the relevant scientific principles of electromagnetic guns, and the application of electromagnetic force in modern weapons.