Magnetic train rails8/19/2023 ![]() ![]() It takes some amount of energy to push the toy car from the bottom of the hill up to the top. ![]() The energy that shoots the projectile magnet out the end is equal to the energy required to push it into position in the first place.Īs an analogy, think of it like pushing a toy car up a hill. We secured this to a PVC pipe that was large enough to shoot a DX0C magnet projectile. We made a ¾” thick ring magnet by stacking three RZ0X84 magnets together, forming a 3” O.D. It's our duty to try this same trick with the biggest magnets we could find. With a little creativity, this setup makes a nice magnetic cannon… Brittle neodymium magnets won’t hold up to repeated abuse like this! We could use plain magnets, but wanted to avoid breaking a lot of magnets when they slam into our steel targets. We used the plastic coated magnet because it’s a much more durable projectile. RXC88 ring with D68PC-RB plastic coated cylinder.RX8CC ring with D68PC-RB plastic coated cylinder.Here are a few we settled on that worked well: Not every cylinder magnet will shoot well through every ring. The advantage of a ring is that we get even more magnet material surrounding the barrel. Since the straight blocks work well, why not surround the barrel with a whole ring? If we consider a cross-sectional slice through the center of a ring magnet, we find the magnetic field looks just like the setup with blocks on either side. (On the graph below, this return to force in negative numbers is cut off on the right hand side of the graph.) Since magnetic forces drop quickly with distance, it isn’t able to slow the projectile down enough to matter much. This force slows the projectile a little, but isn’t strong enough to prevent it from leaving. Once clear of the block magnets, there is a small amount of pull force trying to pull the projectile back towards the barrel. The forces start propelling the projectile down the barrel. Once you pass this point of zero force, the magnetic forces start pushing the projectile magnet in the opposite direction. ![]() This force is shown as negative numbers on the graph. The resisting force rises, and then decreases back to zero. There’s magnetic force resisting this, so it takes some force to keep pushing, slowly sliding the magnet down the barrel. Next, we push the projectile down the barrel. In the graph below, this stable position is where the force curve crosses the x-axis for the first time. It is attracted to this position, and finds its stable resting place there. When the projectile is placed in the barrel from behind, it is pulled into a stable position just before the blocks on the sides. Here, we break this down into four stages: The forces felt by the projectile changes direction as it progresses along the barrel. In our experiments, it shot well with either projectile. We could also use a single, long cylinder magnet. The projectile is a series of four or five B666 or B666-N52 block magnets, also arranged with the north pole facing down the barrel. They are set so that all the north poles are facing downrange, down the barrel. A row of angled block magnets is arranged on either side of a wooden slot. Let's take a closer look at what's going on here. The magnet cannon we constructed using angled BX088-N52 blocks on either side of the "barrel." How can we replicate this setup? Do the magnets need to be angled like that? What other configurations are equivalent? Where does the energy to push the magnet come from? We hope to answer all these questions and more. It looks like a cool demonstration, but what’s going on here? How does it work? A smaller magnet is placed between them, and is somehow propelled down the rail at high speed. A series of magnets is arranged on either side of a wood rail. What we’re after is something we’ve seen in a few places, especially in YouTube videos. We’ve already made one! See our earlier Gauss Guns article. ![]() We’re also not making a “Gauss Gun.” That’s a name commonly given to a series of magnets and steel balls, which shoots a steel ball off the end. This video is a short news clip about the US Navy's work on rail guns for future shipboard weapons. This results in insanely high currents, but can propel the projectile fast enough to make a nasty weapon. A steel projectile connects the two rails, producing magnetic forces that propel it down the barrel. Instead of coils of wire with electricity running through them, it uses two rails along the length of the barrel. This picture ( source) shows a schematic-like view of how a rail gun works.Ī rail gun uses the same idea, but with different construction. ![]()
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