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A mass driver —also called an electromagnetic catapult , space gun , or coil gun —is a type of linear motor. That means it produces linear motion instead of rotational motion. Mass drivers use a series of electromagnets to accelerate an object to high speeds. One day, they could be used to launch payloads into space from the surface of the Earth or the Moon Figure 1.
A basic mass driver consists of a hollow tube with a ferromagnetic payload, like a cylindrical piece of steel. Wires coiled around the outside of the tube form electromagnets that generate a magnetic field when electrical current passes through them.
This external magnetic field induces a magnetic field in the ferromagnetic payload, causing it to be pulled toward the coil. Once the payload passes through the coil, though, it is pulled back toward the center of the coil and eventually settles there.
To avoid this, the coil must be switched off as soon as the payload passes through it. This allows the payload to continue traveling forward.
A mass driver can use multiple stages to accelerate the payload to increasingly higher speeds. At each stage, the coil turns on as the payload approaches, then turns off as soon as the payload passes through Figure 2. In stage 1, coil 1 is energized and the payload is attracted toward it. In stage 2, the first coil is turned off and the second coil is turned on, so the payload keeps moving forward and is attracted to coil 2.
In stage 3, the second coil is turned off and the third coil is turned on. Once the payload reaches coil 3, all coils are turned off and the payload exits the tube. This raises the interesting question of timing. How do you know when to turn each coil on and off?
In theory, you could use physics to predict how fast the payload will move, calculate how long it will take to reach each position in the tube, and manually set the timing for each coil e. This approach is called open-loop control. It is difficult, however, and does not account for potential variability in the system from one launch to the next. Instead, you can use sensors to detect the position of the payload in the tube, and then use closed-loop control also called feedback control to automatically turn the coils on and off based on the payload's position.
Instead of manually setting the times, you can write a program with an algorithm like this: "Turn on coil 1. Once the sensor detects that the payload has exited coil 1, turn on coil 2. The project procedure will give you basic instructions for building a three-stage mass driver; however, there are many variables you can tweak to optimize the design of your mass driver. Can you design a mass driver that launches a payload as far or as fast as possible? Note: the list below shows all the individual parts you need to purchase to do this project.
If you decide to purchase a starter kit, make sure you check this project's materials list for other parts you might still need to purchase separately. Note that since the Arduino project is open source, some starter kits contain third-party Arduino-compatible boards with equivalent functionality.
This procedure will show you how to build a mass driver using the items in the materials list. Remember that you can try different materials or change the dimensions of the mass driver for your project. See the end of the procedure for some suggestions about things you can change. Menu Science Projects. Project Guides. View Site Map.
Science Projects. Grade Levels. Physical Science. Earth and Environmental Science. Behavioral and Social Science. Summary Areas of Science. Circuit parts required. See materials list for details. Build an Arduino Mass Driver. Figure 1. Figure 2. Diagram showing the operation of a three-stage mass driver.
Bibliography Wikipedia users n. Mass driver. Retrieved August 26, Science Buddies Staff n. How to Use an Arduino. Engineering Design Process. Note: This engineering project is best described by the engineering design process, as opposed to the scientific method.
You might want to ask your teacher whether it's acceptable to follow the engineering design process for your project before you begin. Figure 3. Mass driver tube with three electromagnetic coils. Figure 4. Simple wire spool holder made from a cardboard box and a pencil. Figure 5. Extension wires soldered to Hall effect sensor and covered in heat shrink tubing.
Figure 6. Click here for a larger version of the image. Figure 7. Mass driver experimental setup. Ask an Expert Do you have specific questions about your science project? Our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.
Post a Question. Try experimenting with different power supplies for your mass driver. For example, what happens if you use a DC wall adapter or a bank of supercapacitors instead of batteries? Can you film your mass driver in slow motion and measure your projectile's speed as it travels through each stage?
Can you calculate the net force acting on the projectile using Newton's laws of motion? Alternatively, can you calculate your projectile's speed based on the distances between the Hall effect sensors and the elapsed time between their activation?
Can you design your own drive electronics for the circuit instead of buying a preassembled drive board? This is an advanced electrical engineering project. Here are a few videos where people take different approaches: Make your own Coilgun Building a 3-stage coil gun Coilgun powered by Arduino Just Try and Make Your Own Coil-Gun Accelerator Is a mass driver the cheapest way to launch material into space?
What about reusable rockets? Log in to add favorite More Menu Read More. Aerospace Engineer. Mechanical Engineer. Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results!
Learn more about the News Feed. Finio, Ben. Accessed 3 Feb. Finio, B. Explore Our Science Videos. Paper Speaker Troubleshooting. How to Make an Electromagnet. Quick Links X.
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