Mechanized Gaussian Cannon with Head-Tracked Targeting System

ABSTRACT: A Gaussian cannon is a device that uses magnetic fields to propel and shoot a ferromagnetic projectile. Several identical units, each consisting of a fixed permanent magnet and a pair of ferromagnetic balls, are sequentially arranged in an array to constitute the device. When a ferromagnetic ball impacts the magnet at the start of the array with a relatively low speed, the ball at the other end of the array gets ejected with a much larger speed. Conventionally, each time the device is triggered, the ferromagnetic balls need to be re-positioned manually before the device can be triggered again. In this paper, an axial cam mechanism has been employed to mechanize the triggering and re-positioning of the ferromagnetic balls within the device. Additionally, a rotary mechanism has been implemented to replace an ejected projectile with a new one. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between the projectile velocity and the cam profile and optimized the cam profile for the maximum projectile velocity.