Magnetically Accelerated Projectile Launcher (MAPL)

Students: Thomas Melgaard, Callum Walton, John Eisenbacher, Gregory Van Roie, Charles Simon
Advisor: Dr. George Nehmetallah

Our project is a magnetically accelerated projectile launcher that uses a rail based launching system.
Current launchers have a very low efficiency; this project primarily focuses on improving the efficiency.
The launcher has two main parts: (1) a regenerative buck/boost pulse forming network circuit and (2) a
rail based launching system. This circuit functions as a variable, controllable power supply that has high
supply efficiency across a wide range of conditions, and can also act as a regenerative system to collect
some of the magnetic energy that is left in the rails. The rails are made out of hardened copper, which
resists corrosion and has high conductivity. A mechanical launcher has been constructed to impart an
initial velocity to the projectile, preventing the risk of a stationary projectile fusing to the rails. These
design elements contribute to the realization and testing of a small but scalable system.