Dynamic Evolution of Thermal Erosion at the Armature-Rail Interface via a Three-Dimensional Fully-Coupled Multiphysics Model

Dynamic Evolution of Thermal Erosion at the Armature-Rail Interface via a Three-Dimensional Fully-Coupled Multiphysics Model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Dynamic Evolution of Thermal Erosion at the Armature-Rail Interface via a Three-Dimensional Fully-Coupled Multiphysics Model Jiale Li, Tao Shu, Shaowei Liu, Lei Han, Ruozhen Yin This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401113/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Extreme thermal erosion at the armature-rail interface stems from severe nonlinear coupling among electromagnetic, thermo-mechanical, and phase-change fields under mega-ampere hypervelocity sliding. To overcome the intrinsic limitations of traditional decoupled or idealized models, a three-dimensional transient fully-coupled multiphysics framework is established. This methodology synchronously resolves magnetic diffusion, contact stress redistribution, dynamic contact impedance, and wear evolution within a unified formulation. Validated against experimental post-launch morphologies, the model dismantles conventional damage criteria: severe erosion localization does not strictly coincide with peak current density zones. Instead, damage progression is dictated by the synergistic co-evolution of interfacial electrical conductivity under the joint influence of transient current density and contact stress. Furthermore, a distinct staged evolution pattern of thermal erosion is identified, fundamentally governed by the dynamic composite heat-source competition between dominant contact Joule heating and transiently amplified frictional-shear dissipation. The framework quantitatively captures a U-shaped, non-monotonic temporal evolution of contact impedance, elucidating the initial mechanical hysteresis and the antagonistic interplay between pressure-enhanced conduction and thermal-induced structural degradation. This work unveils the invisible transient contact states during electromagnetic launch, providing a robust theoretical foundation for designing long-life, erosion-resistant sliding electrical contacts. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Physics Electromagnetic rail launch Armature-rail interface Multiphysics fully-coupled model Thermal erosion Dynamic evolution Contact impedance Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTable.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 11 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 16 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 15 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 13 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9401113","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":627837693,"identity":"37015e96-5711-4b93-8093-e7b209d1a2a6","order_by":0,"name":"Jiale Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Air Force Engineering University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jiale","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":627837694,"identity":"46fe3b29-a20b-4e92-ad4c-78006c923d93","order_by":1,"name":"Tao Shu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Air Force Engineering 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