Design Aspects and Thermal Characteristics of Single-Sided Linear Induction Motor for Electromagnetic Launch Application

Abstract

This paper presents the design aspects and thermal characteristics of single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM) for Electromagnetic launchers. It is designed to accelerate a 50 kg mass through a distance of 3 meters within a minuscule time to an exit velocity of 50 m/s. A study of the motor's parametric variation based on the launching requirement has been performed. Its performance characteristics are obtained using 3D FEM and verified analytically using Parseval's method. The FEM, analytical and experimental verification of the thrust characteristics of different secondary conductive sheet materials namely, aluminum, Beryllium copper and German silver shows that, the latter exhibits superior characteristics than the former two, because its thrust-velocity curve is close to inverse linear relationship (stable region of operation of LIM), which significantly reduces the accelerating time during the launch. The designed SLIM is assessed for its thermal performance with materials having temperature-dependent electrical properties by carrying out a coupled-field FEM simulation. The conclusions demonstrate that the electromagnetic and thermal assessments are in tandem with each other as required for launching.