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They dispersed a ton of steel so that the laws of physics begged for mercy.
China has published new technical details about the operation of the so—called "electromagnetic sleigh", a large ground-based launcher that in 2023 was the first in the world to accelerate a test platform to supersonic speed. During the tests, trolleys weighing about 1 ton reached speeds above Mach 1, that is, they exceeded the speed of sound propagation. The experimental complex has been in operation in Jinan city in the east of the country for more than two years.
The key difficulty for such installations is the shock wave that occurs when moving at supersonic speed near the earth's surface. In such modes, a powerful acoustic impact is formed, which literally destroys the measuring equipment. This is especially dangerous for launch platforms: a short-term loss of information about coordinates and motion parameters can lead to loss of control and an emergency situation.
At altitudes below 100 meters at normal air temperatures, unstable aerodynamic flows are formed caused by compression fronts. These processes create strong mechanical disturbances that disable navigation systems, disrupt the operation of linear induction drives and destabilize the motion control circuit.
In a new scientific paper, a team led by Xu Fei from the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a different technical approach. Instead of vulnerable measuring devices, the researchers implemented a "sensorless" acceleration parameter estimation scheme, in which the platform does not use external sensors at all, which are susceptible to destruction by shock loads.
The principle is based on the analysis of electrical processes within the system itself. The trolley moves along a rail line, along which segmented power coils are alternately activated. Experts have found that short-term voltage fluctuations occur when working in them, and the nature of these pulses directly reflects the rate of movement of the platform.
Based on these data, a computational algorithm has been created that processes signals from several adjacent sections at once, eliminates noise from vibrations and impacts, and determines motion parameters in real time. The program generates two independent values derived from different electrical characteristics, and then combines them to increase stability and accuracy.
In the tests, it was possible to achieve an error of about 1.1% at speeds up to 370 m/s. This result is considered sufficient for stable and safe control of the installation in supersonic mode.
Previously, various states, including the United States and the USSR, had attempted to create reliable supersonic systems, but each time they ran into the same problem — the measuring equipment could not withstand extreme conditions. For comparison, the modern American electromagnetic catapult EMALS on aircraft carriers such as the USS Gerald R. Ford accelerates aircraft to about 78 m / s, which remains far below the supersonic range.
At the same time, the installation in Jinan is used not only for experiments with overclocking platforms. It also conducts research in the field of hypersonic technologies, testing promising aerospace materials, and developing new concepts for space launch systems.
China has published new technical details about the operation of the so—called "electromagnetic sleigh", a large ground-based launcher that in 2023 was the first in the world to accelerate a test platform to supersonic speed. During the tests, trolleys weighing about 1 ton reached speeds above Mach 1, that is, they exceeded the speed of sound propagation. The experimental complex has been in operation in Jinan city in the east of the country for more than two years.
The key difficulty for such installations is the shock wave that occurs when moving at supersonic speed near the earth's surface. In such modes, a powerful acoustic impact is formed, which literally destroys the measuring equipment. This is especially dangerous for launch platforms: a short-term loss of information about coordinates and motion parameters can lead to loss of control and an emergency situation.
At altitudes below 100 meters at normal air temperatures, unstable aerodynamic flows are formed caused by compression fronts. These processes create strong mechanical disturbances that disable navigation systems, disrupt the operation of linear induction drives and destabilize the motion control circuit.
In a new scientific paper, a team led by Xu Fei from the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a different technical approach. Instead of vulnerable measuring devices, the researchers implemented a "sensorless" acceleration parameter estimation scheme, in which the platform does not use external sensors at all, which are susceptible to destruction by shock loads.
The principle is based on the analysis of electrical processes within the system itself. The trolley moves along a rail line, along which segmented power coils are alternately activated. Experts have found that short-term voltage fluctuations occur when working in them, and the nature of these pulses directly reflects the rate of movement of the platform.
Based on these data, a computational algorithm has been created that processes signals from several adjacent sections at once, eliminates noise from vibrations and impacts, and determines motion parameters in real time. The program generates two independent values derived from different electrical characteristics, and then combines them to increase stability and accuracy.
In the tests, it was possible to achieve an error of about 1.1% at speeds up to 370 m/s. This result is considered sufficient for stable and safe control of the installation in supersonic mode.
Previously, various states, including the United States and the USSR, had attempted to create reliable supersonic systems, but each time they ran into the same problem — the measuring equipment could not withstand extreme conditions. For comparison, the modern American electromagnetic catapult EMALS on aircraft carriers such as the USS Gerald R. Ford accelerates aircraft to about 78 m / s, which remains far below the supersonic range.
At the same time, the installation in Jinan is used not only for experiments with overclocking platforms. It also conducts research in the field of hypersonic technologies, testing promising aerospace materials, and developing new concepts for space launch systems.
