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Registered Member #3306
Joined: Mon Oct 11 2010, 12:37PM
Location: Abelstua, UiO, Oslo, Norway
Posts: 3
Can you recommend some books about electromagnetic projectile accelerators? I'm also looking for textbooks about the theory needed to understand all aspects of coilgun design. The only books I've found locally are University Physics, and Introduction to Electrodynamics.
What I'm looking for is a more specific book about only coilguns and related topics; not a collection of all electrodynamic principles, or even, as University Physics, a huge tome where only a chapter is of interest to me.
Registered Member #1451
Joined: Wed Apr 23 2008, 03:48AM
Location: Boulder, Co
Posts: 661
As far as I know there are no books that cover only coilguns. There might be some published papers dealing with the Naval research on railguns but I think you'll have a really hard time finding any coilgun books at all. Best place I've found is Barry's website and this forum! The Internet is your friend when it comes to the topics your are interested in.
Registered Member #3306
Joined: Mon Oct 11 2010, 12:37PM
Location: Abelstua, UiO, Oslo, Norway
Posts: 3
Thanks, I've already seen Barry's site and some others. Could you sum up the mathematical methods I should be familiar with to understand the physics behind every aspect of coilgun design?
Registered Member #1906
Joined: Sat Jan 03 2009, 05:06PM
Location:
Posts: 39
In case coilgun.eclipse.co.uk isn't among the "other" sites maybe it would be worth having a look at? Not having read much of it myself I can't say if it's good or not, but it looks like it could contain pretty much any relevant theory.
Edit: I might want to add that the arrows on the bottom of each page are actually links to the previous and next page and not part of the skin. Took me way too long to figure out...
Registered Member #1451
Joined: Wed Apr 23 2008, 03:48AM
Location: Boulder, Co
Posts: 661
For a start, you should really get to know the equations for RLC circuits. This includes frequency, max current, and how the oscillation is damped. You should also know the equation for field strength given a current and the coil geometry. There really is no set of equations that can tell you all about coilguns unless you get into intense computer simulations. With the basic equations for how current flows however, you can get a feel for what your coilgun needs to do. All of the stuff I mentioned I learned primarily from Barry's site... You hear a lot about it because it is an amazing resource.
Registered Member #3411
Joined: Sat Nov 13 2010, 08:25PM
Location:
Posts: 33
Its not specifically only coilguns, tend to go more into railguns and different power sources, but I really recommend having a look at:
It seems that this university has had a contract with DARPA and similar army armament programs for the last several decades, so they have some pretty advanced stuff. Whilst most of it probably wont transfer to our scale of projects, it might give you some ideas ;).
Personally I was kinda surprised they have so many publications online for the wide public to read, you can even find some previously classified papers in there...
PS. If you can read german I can only recommend the Experimente mit Electric Guns book by Thomas Rapp ( is the site if i remember correct). goes over the physics behind coilguns, railguns, induction accelerators and even electrothermal guns, discusses some of his own experiments and highlights the current developments in the field. Its a pretty cool little book imo :p. In case the author is reading this forum (he does recommend it :D), thanks for writing it, Herr Rapp :D
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