EP0182947B1 - Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung - Google Patents

Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0182947B1
EP0182947B1 EP19840308277 EP84308277A EP0182947B1 EP 0182947 B1 EP0182947 B1 EP 0182947B1 EP 19840308277 EP19840308277 EP 19840308277 EP 84308277 A EP84308277 A EP 84308277A EP 0182947 B1 EP0182947 B1 EP 0182947B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
conductive fibers
sleeve
armature
support structure
axis
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP19840308277
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0182947A1 (de
Inventor
Joseph Scuro
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Westinghouse Electric Corp filed Critical Westinghouse Electric Corp
Priority to DE8484308277T priority Critical patent/DE3478341D1/de
Priority to EP19840308277 priority patent/EP0182947B1/de
Publication of EP0182947A1 publication Critical patent/EP0182947A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0182947B1 publication Critical patent/EP0182947B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41B—WEAPONS FOR PROJECTING MISSILES WITHOUT USE OF EXPLOSIVE OR COMBUSTIBLE PROPELLANT CHARGE; WEAPONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F41B6/00—Electromagnetic launchers ; Plasma-actuated launchers
    • F41B6/006—Rail launchers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R41/00—Non-rotary current collectors for maintaining contact between moving and stationary parts of an electric circuit

Definitions

  • This invention relates to armatures for conducting very large currents between parallel rails of electromagnetic launchers and more particularly to such armatures employing multiple conducting fibers to conduct current between the launcher rails.
  • sliding conductive armature serves to conduct current between the rails and is subjected to an electromagnetic force which propels the armature and an associated projectile toward the muzzle end of the rails. Because of the high currents involved in the electromagnetic propulsion of projectiles, sliding conductive armatures must be designed to minimize electrical contact resistance, to have sufficient contact force to maintain a low contact voltage drop in order to prevent rail damage caused by arcing, to have sufficient compliance to accommodate both its own wear and changes in the distance between the launcher rails, and to minimize damage resulting from resistive heating. Atypical armature may be seen in U.S.
  • Patent 4,457,205 (preamble of claim 1) which includes two embodiments, one illustrating a bundle of conducting fibers held together by means of a retaining band and another embodiment which utilizes a stack of chevron-shaped plates having conductive fibers along the edges thereof for contacting the rails of a parallel rail electromagnetic launcher.
  • an armature for conducting large D.C. currents, between a pair of electrically conductive rails, comprises in accordance with claim 1 an insulating support structure, a plurality of conductive fibers, a cylindrical sleeve having an opening in which said conductive fibers are positioned said conductive fibers being compacted to a maximum packing density to form a solid mass within said sleeve, and means for mounting said sleeve on said support structure, said conductive fibers being spirally disposed with respect to the axis of said sleeve.
  • a plurality of cantilevered conductive fibers of this structure are angled and spiralled for low contact load.
  • Maximum packing density of the fibers within the sleeve produces a uniform current distribution which eliminates excessive current density concentrations and prevents gross armature melting.
  • a high current brush constructed in accordance with this invention comprises: a plurality of conductive fibers; a cylindrical sleeve having an opening through which said conductive fibers pass; and wherein said conductive fibers are compacted to a maximum density to form a solid mass within said sleeve.
  • FIG. 1 shows a top view of an armature assembly.
  • a brush assembly comprising a plurality of conductive fibers 10 pass through an opening in sleeve 12, is attached to an insulating support structure 14 by a brush holder mounting means 16.
  • the insulating support structure 14 is sized to slide between a pair of parallel launching rails in an electromagnetic launcher and serves to position the brush assembly between the rails.
  • an opening 18 is shown within insulating support structure 14 for receiving a projectile.
  • the insulating support structure 14 may itself be the projectile, may lie adjacent to a projectile, or may be associated with a projectile in some other manner.
  • the sleeve 12 of the brush assembly passes through an opening in mounting means 16 and is held in place by a set screw 20.
  • FIG 2 is a side view of the armature assembly of Figure 1.
  • This embodiment uses two fiber brush assemblies each of which contains ten bundles of 0.1524 mm copper fibers such as those used to form flexible commercial welding type cable. Each bundle contains 1,100 wire fibers. These bundles were inserted into openings of cylindrical annealed copper sleeves 12. The copper sleeves were then rotary swaged until conductive fibers 10 reached a maximum packing density within each sleeve and thereby formed a single solidified connection. The sleeves 12 were inserted into an aluminum mounting block 16 and secured by way of set screws 20. A bolt 22 serves as means for attaching mounting block 16 to insulating support structure 14.
  • FIG 3 is a top view of the brush assembly of the armature assembly of Figure 1.
  • Each end of sleeve 12 is beveled at an angle 24 of 10° to form a . narrow side 26 and a wide side 28.
  • the narrow side 26 of sleeve 12 is mounted closest to the insulating support structure 14.
  • Multiple conductive fibers 10 pass through an opening in sleeve 12 and are spiralled with respect to the axis of sleeve 12.
  • the conductive fibers 10 have been bent as a whole to an angle 30 of 40° at the trailing edge and an angle 32 of 10° at the forward edge.
  • the ends of conductive fibers 10 are cut along two planes which lie perpendicular to the axis of sleeve 12. To improve electrical contact between conductive fibers 10 and the projectile launching rails of the launcher, the ends of conductive fiber 10 are polished to a flat surface.
  • Armature assemblies in accordance with this invention have been constructed and tested in an electromagnetic launcher.
  • One of these armature assemblies having a brush assembly comprising 7,700 copper fibers, each having a diameter of 0.1524 mm, was used to accelerate a 317 gram projectile to a speed of 4.2 kilometers per second with a pulsed current of 2.1 million amperes.
  • the projectile and armature assembly left the barrel intact and went through the center of a 6.35 mm thick steel witness plate before being destructively caught in a catch tank.
  • Rail damage was minimal, with two smooth dime-shaped holes about 2 millimeters deep having been produced approximately 15 centimeters from the breech of the launcher. The remainder of the rails and insulation showed no damage although all interior surfaces were coated with a thin layer of soot.
  • the spiralled fibers provide self support and limit deflection while in the presence of high electromagnetic fields. Spiralling allows compliance to variations along the contact rails as the armature travels to maintain good electrical contact, thereby reducing the destructive effects of arcing. Through the use of flexible conductive fibers, low contact forces are required to make good electrical contact, thereby resulting in low friction losses.
  • the brush assembly of the armature assembly of this invention has been as an efficient linear sliding contact during a pulsed application, it can also be used as a continuous operating brush on a slip ring surface. Because the conductive fibers have been solidified within the sleeve of the brush assembly, soldering or joining heavy electrical conductors to the brush is possible and can readily be made when required.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Elimination Of Static Electricity (AREA)
  • Motor Or Generator Current Collectors (AREA)
  • Linear Motors (AREA)

Claims (13)

1. Armatur zur Übertragung großer Gleichströme zwischen einem Paar elektrisch leitender Schienen, entlang welchen die Armatur durch elektromagnetische Kräfte verschoben wird, die durch das Anlegen der großen Gleichströme erzeugt werden, wobei die Armatur eine isolierende Halterung (14) umfaßt, gekennzeichnet durch eine zylindrische Hülse (12) mit in ihrem Innern angeordneten leitenden Fasern (10), die derart gepackt zusammengehalten sind, daß sie innerhalb der Hülse (12) eine kompakte und feste Masse bilden, und Vorrichtungen (16) zur Montage der Hülse an der Halterung (14) um die leitenden Fasern (10) bezüglich der Achse der Hülse (12) spiralformig anzuordnen.
2. Armatur nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die stirnseitigen Enden der Hülse (12) unter einem Winkel von 10° derart abgeschrägt sind, daß an der Hülse (12) eine Schmalseite (26) und eine Breitseite (28) entsteht, wobei die Schmalseite näher an der Halterung (14) angeordnet ist.
3. Armatur nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die leitenden Fasern (10) unter einem Winkel zwischen 10° und 40° bezogen auf die Achse der Hülse (12) abgebogen sind, wobei die am nächsten bei der Halterung (14) liegenden Fasern unter einem Winkel von 10° und die am weitesten entfernt von der Halterung (14) angeordneten Fasern (10) unter einem Winkel von 40° abgebogen sind.
4. Armatur nach Anspruch 1 bis 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Vorrichtungen zur Montage der Hülse an der Halterung einen Montageblock (16) umfassen, der mit einer Bohrung zum Einsetzen der Hülse versehen ist.
5. Armatur nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Montageblock (16) im wesentlichen aus Aluminium besteht.
6. Armatur nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß auf der einen Endseite alle leitenden Fasern (10) längs einer ersten Ebene senkrecht zur Achse der Hülse (12) und auf der anderen Endseite der leitenden Faser (10) alle Fasern längs einer zweiten Ebene senkrecht zur Achse der Hülse (12) beschnitten sind.
7. Armatur nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Vielzahl der leitenden Fasern (10) aus etwa 7700 leitenden Fasern besteht.
8. Armatur nach Anspruch 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die leitenden Fasern Kupferlitzen sind.
9. Armatur nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Hülse (12) aus einem enthärteten Kupferzylinder besteht, der durch Verpressen mit den leitenden Fasern (10) eine feste Masse bildet.
10. Armatur nach einem oder mehreren der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die leitenden Fasern (10) an den Enden jeweils in einer Ebene senkrecht zur Achse der Hülse (12) poliert sind.
11. Hochstrombürste für eine Armatur nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10, bei welcher die Bürste aus einer Vielzahl leitender Fasern (10) besteht, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die leitenden Fasern (10) durch die Innenbohrung einer zylindrischen Hülse (12) verlaufen und zu einer festen Masse zusammengepackt sind und daß die leitenden Fasern (10) spiralförmig bezüglich der Achse der Hülse (12) angeordnet sind.
12. Hochstrombürste nach Anspruch 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß ein Ende jeder der leitenden Fasern (10) längs einer Ebene senkrecht zur Achse der Hülse (12) beschnitten ist.
13. Hochstrombürste nach einem der Ansprüche 11 oder 12, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die leitenden Fasern (10) aus Kupferlitzen bestehen, wovon jeder einzelne Litzendraht einen Durchmesser von 0,1524 mm hat.
EP19840308277 1984-11-29 1984-11-29 Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung Expired EP0182947B1 (de)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE8484308277T DE3478341D1 (en) 1984-11-29 1984-11-29 Linear fiber armature for electromagnetic launchers
EP19840308277 EP0182947B1 (de) 1984-11-29 1984-11-29 Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19840308277 EP0182947B1 (de) 1984-11-29 1984-11-29 Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0182947A1 EP0182947A1 (de) 1986-06-04
EP0182947B1 true EP0182947B1 (de) 1989-05-24

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19840308277 Expired EP0182947B1 (de) 1984-11-29 1984-11-29 Lineare Faserarmatur für elektromagnetische Abschussvorrichtung

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP0182947B1 (de)
DE (1) DE3478341D1 (de)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4422394B4 (de) * 1994-06-27 2004-03-25 Deutsch-Französisches Forschungsinstitut Saint-Louis, Saint-Louis Beschleunigungseinrichtung zum Beschleunigen eines Flugkörpers
FR2879032B1 (fr) * 2004-12-02 2008-02-29 Saint Louis Inst Dispositif mobile de contact electrique avec reserve de conducteurs

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1093895B (de) * 1958-09-24 1960-12-01 Nelken Kg Dr Ewald Buerstenkontakt fuer starre und bewegliche Vorrichtungen von Klemmkontakten und Stromabnehmern
US3917995A (en) * 1974-08-26 1975-11-04 Henry H Clinton Movable brush assembly for making electrical contact with the outer surface of an electrical cable
US4398113A (en) * 1980-12-15 1983-08-09 Litton Systems, Inc. Fiber brush slip ring assembly
US4457205A (en) * 1981-12-09 1984-07-03 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Multiple fiber armatures for electromagnetic launchers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3478341D1 (en) 1989-06-29
EP0182947A1 (de) 1986-06-04

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