Electromagnetic Systems

The Electromagnetic Systems Division of the IAT conducts long-term basic and applied electrodynamics research to support the Army and Navy. The division also conducts associated research, studies, technical assessments, and evaluations that provide the technical support necessary to assist the Army and Navy in identifying, assessing and insuring the development of critical technologies for advanced electromagnetic systems and advancement in the state-of-the-art in electrodynamics.

Current research interests include:

Armature/rail physics, advanced computational models, and high performance materials for electric vehicle systems. Experimental research is performed in a dedicated research facility using pulsed power driven test fixtures.

Longer term research goals include:

Understanding the physical phenomena and engineering issues necessary to develop a basis for an armature and integrated launch package design that will provide reliable, repeatable, and efficient performance from 0-3 km/s.

Advancing the state-of-the-art in EM launcher rails utilizing engineered materials and novel configurations to provide rail conductors with extended lifetimes that are less prone to surface damage and property degradation under multiple shot usage and that are chemically stable under defined armature/rail interaction environments.

Creating insight into high performance materials that will support the electric armaments community by fulfilling the specialized demands of components utilized to obtain hypervelocity launch.

Developing and distributing updated and documented computational tools (i.e. EMAP3D) to model and assess systems which are characterized by mechanically, thermally coupled electromagnetic diffusive processes with moving conductors such as pulsed rotating power supplies and electromagnetic launchers.