Abstract: Because of strong current, friction and arcing, electrical contact
ablation occurs in the transmitting process of electromagnetic railgun, which
is also one key issue in application. In this paper, an experimental apparatus
is designed to detect electromagnetic railgun armature contacts ablation.
Energy dispersive X-ray, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution camera
and rogowski coil are used to measure mass loss, volume change, the ablation
layer analysis, the element distribution on ablation layer section and the
electrical contact analysis. Experimental results show that the input current
and the contact pressure between electrodes are the major factors contributing
to the ablation volume loss and mass loss. It is also showed that as a sliding
electrode, the aluminum armature ablates more seriously during launch.
