Steady-field coilgun methods and devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12498195-B2
Application number	US-202418732083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2024
Priority date	Jun 2, 2023
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

Steady-field coilgun methods and devices based on a steady-field coil(s). The fundamental operational basis is to leave the current running in the solenoid/coil during the operation of the gun or other projectile launcher, where the field must be built up only once—initially, when turning the gun or launcher on. Then firing involves loading a bullet or other projectile in the barrel and releasing it to be accelerated by the established magnetic field. To fire again, the system loads the next bullet into the barrel and releases it again to be accelerated by the same steady magnetic field. To stop the firing, simply prevent the next bullet from loading, or load it but do not release it in the barrel. To turn off the system, simply disconnect the DC voltage driving the current in the solenoid(s)/coil(s).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for operating an electromagnetic coilgun system, the electromagnetic coilgun system including a barrel and a longitudinally extending electrical excitation coil, the electrical excitation coil including a first portion arranged circumferentially around a muzzle end of a bore of the barrel and a second portion arranged circumferentially around a discharge region protruding beyond the muzzle end of the bore, the method comprising:
energizing the electrical excitation coil to produce a steady-state magnetic field within and around the muzzle end of the bore of the barrel, the steady-state magnetic field extending along a longitudinal axis of the barrel and longitudinally beyond the muzzle end of the barrel; loading the barrel with a magnetic sabot at a breech end of the barrel, the magnetic sabot housing a nonmagnetic projectile; and firing the magnetic sabot and housed nonmagnetic projectile by magnetically propelling the magnetic sabot, with the housed nonmagnetic projectile, along the longitudinal axis of the bore by a magnetic force produced by the steady-state magnetic field within and around the bore of the barrel, wherein the magnetic sabot is shed from the nonmagnetic projectile as the magnetic sabot and nonmagnetic projectile are launched from the muzzle end of the bore.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the magnetic sabot for reuse, by a magnetic field configured perpendicular to the barrel and concentrated in front of the muzzle end of the bore.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising gyroscopically stabilizing the nonmagnetic projectile exiting the muzzle, by rotating the nonmagnetic projectile with a rifled bore.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising flipping a magnetic dipole moment, by a curb applying a rotational torque to the magnetic dipole projectile, wherein the flipped magnetic dipole projectile is opposite to the magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the use of the electromagnetic gun system is selected from the group of uses consisting of one or more of: ship point-defense, vehicle point-defense, building point-defense, anti-aircraft, anti-drone, and/or area effect or area saturation, suppressive fire, and combinations thereof.

6 . An electromagnetic coilgun system comprising:
a barrel including a longitudinally extended bore, a breech end, and a muzzle end; and a longitudinally extended electrical excitation coil including a first portion arranged circumferentially around the muzzle end of the bore of the barrel and a second portion arranged circumferentially around a discharge region protruding beyond the muzzle end of the bore; wherein a) energizing the electrical excitation coil produces a steady-state magnetic field within and around the muzzle end of the bore of the barrel, the steady-state magnetic field extending along a longitudinal axis of the barrel and longitudinally beyond the muzzle end of the barrel, b) a magnetic sabot housing a nonmagnetic projectile is loaded at the breech end of the barrel, c) the magnetic sabot and housed nonmagnetic projectile are fired by magnetically propelling the magnetic sabot and nonmagnetic projectile, along the longitudinal axis of the bore, and d) the magnetic sabot is shed from the nonmagnetic projectile as the magnetic sabot and nonmagnetic projectile are launched from the muzzle end of the bore.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the sabot comprises multiple sections configured to open up and release the nonmagnetic projectile.

8 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a magnetic field perpendicular to the barrel and concentrated in front of the muzzle end of the bore, wherein the magnetic field is configured to collect the magnetic sabot for reuse.

9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the barrel bore is smooth, and wherein the velocity of the magnetic sabot is maximized by the reduced friction.

10 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the barrel bore is rifled.

11 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the magnetic sabot comprises a permanent ferromagnetic material; wherein the permanent ferromagnetic material is selected from the group consisting of one or more ferromagnetic materials of: cobalt, nickel, Alnico, ferrite, rare-earth material, and combinations thereof.

12 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the electromagnetic gun system is configured for use selected from the group of uses consisting of one or more of: ship point-defense, vehicle point-defense, building point-defense, anti-aircraft, anti-drone, area effect or area saturation, suppressive fire, and combinations thereof.

13 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the barrel bore is smooth from the breech to the center of the electrical excitation coil and rifled or partially rifled in a region of the barrel bore after the magnetic dipole is flipped.

14 . A method for operating an electromagnetic coilgun system, the electromagnetic coilgun system including a barrel and a longitudinally extended electrical excitation coil arranged circumferentially around a bore of the barrel, the method comprising:
energizing the electrical excitation coil to produce a steady-state magnetic field within and around the bore of the barrel, the steady-state magnetic field extending along a longitudinal axis of the barrel; loading the barrel with a magnetic dipole projectile at a breech end of the barrel, the loaded magnetic dipole projectile oriented with a first magnetic dipole moment aligned to a magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field; and firing the magnetic dipole projectile by magnetically propelling the magnetic dipole along the longitudinal axis of the bore by a magnetic force produced by the steady-state magnetic field within and around the bore of the barrel; wherein, at or near a center of the electrical excitation coil, the magnetic dipole moment of the magnetic dipole projectile is flipped to be oriented to a second magnetic dipole moment, 180 degrees opposite to the first magnetic dipole moment and opposite to the magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field, and the magnetic dipole projectile travels continuously from the breech end of the barrel, through the electrical excitation coil and is launched from the muzzle end of the bore of the barrel.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the magnetic dipole projectile further comprises a permanent magnet; wherein the permanent magnet is a ferromagnetic material selected from the group consisting of one or more ferromagnetic material of: cobalt, nickel, Alnico, ferrite, rare-earth material, and combinations thereof.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the magnetic dipole flip is caused by a curb inside the barrel which applies a torque onto the magnetic dipole projectile to produce a rotation for the flip.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein a plurality of electrical excitation coil stages are used for acceleration of the magnetic dipole projectile and are positioned at different longitudinal locations along the barrel, the output of each stage the input to the next stage, except for the last stage, whose output is the muzzle end of the barrel.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a magnetic field of a next stage is opposite to a magnetic field of a previous stage, so that a flipped magnetic dipole projectile emerging from the previous stage has a dipole moment in the same direction as the magnetic field of the next stage to accelerate the magnetic dipole projectile into the electrical exc

Assignees

• The United States Of American As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
• Us Gov Sec Navy

Inventors

• Kartalov Emil Paskalev
• Catterlin Jeffrey Kyle

Classifications

• F41B6/006

  Rail launchers · CPC title

• F41B6/003 Primary

  using at least one driving coil for accelerating the projectile, e.g. an annular coil · CPC title