Passive Eddy Current Braking System for SNORT

In this research effort, AMT will investigate a replacement for the braking system located on test sleds at the Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track (SNORT) at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The current water braking system is based on last-century technology that is characterized by unnecessary complexity and high cost, especially regarding the labor hours spent on repair, calibration and regular maintenance of the system. Regulatory compliance and safety are ongoing concerns of the current setup. The goal of this research is to design a passive eddy current braking system that accomplishes the same results of the current system and fits in the existing allocated spaces, while offering higher reliability, shorter setup time, lower maintenance and lifecycle costs, and minimal calibration setup. The proposed eddy brake uses a magnetic field to induce current within a conducting secondary. The process is completely passive. There is no water, electricity, fuel or coolant required. The eddy currents are induced because of relative motion between the magnets and the conducting secondary. The design is also inherently self-centering. Technical objectives of this Phase I project include computing the braking force resulting from the induced eddy currents for speeds ranging from 1 – 3,000 ft/s; simulating the kinematics of a braking event on a sample mass from several thousand ft/s down to zero; and verifying compliance of the system design to the provided Navy requirements.