Magrac–A Railgun Simulation Program

Abstract

We have developed and validated a computer simulation code at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to predict the performance of a railgun electromagnetic accelerator. The code, called MAGRAC (MAGnetic Railgun Accelerator), models the performance of a railgun driven by a magnetic flux compression current generator (MFCG). The MAGRAC code employs a time-step solution of the nonlinear time-varying element railgun circuit to determine rail currents. From the rail currents, the projectile acceleration, velocity, and position are found. We have validated the MAGRAC code through a series of eight railgun tests conducted jointly with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This paper describes the formulation of the MAGRAC railgun model and compares the predicted current waveforms with those obtained from full-scale experiments. © 1981 IEEE