Affiliations: [a] National Key Laboratory of Transient Physics, Nanjing
University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China | [b] Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering, Beijing, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Chun-Sheng Weng, National Key Laboratory
of Transient Physics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing
210094, China. Tel.: +86 25 8431 5932; Fax: +86 25 8431 5644; E-mail: wengcs@126.com
Abstract: Three-dimensional (3-D) numerical simulations have been carried out
taking into account the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect of the railgun plasma
armature. The 3-D space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE)
method is derived for solving the coupled Navier-Stokes equations and Maxwell
equations. The results show that a steeper gradient of the magnetic field and
pressure that appears along the direction of the rail can be observed. The
temperature distribution is affected by the boundary conditions for the
radiative heat flux, with the maximum temperature appearing in the center near
the base of the projectile. Circulation patterns of velocity that are evident
in both the rail-to-rail plane and the insulator-to-insulator plane result from
the convection and unbalanced force between the Lorentz force and pressure
gradient. The periodical variation of the temperature and acceleration is
obvious until a new steady state is achieved. This model can efficiently
evaluate the dynamics of the plasma motion, and provide a basis on
understanding the much more complex physical phenomena.
