Electromagnetic accelerator in flat coil arrangement

A flat coil electromagnetic accelerator arrangement for accelerating an object comprising:

• guide means, having at least first and second sides, for guiding the object to be accelerated, the object traveling between the sides of the guide means;
• at least one primary coil means, having first and second flat primary coils disposed opposite one another along first and second sides, respectively, of the guide means, for producing a magnetic field which extends between the first and second sides;
• and
• secondary coil means, having at least one flat secondary coil moveably disposed between the first and second sides of said guide means and in contact with the object to be accelerated, for interacting with the magnetic field of the at least one primary coil means to thereby produce an accelerating force on the object;
• wherein planes of the flat primary and secondary coils are parallel to a direction of movement of the object along the guide means;
• wherein the flat primary and secondary coils are of symmetrical design having substantially identical length and width dimensions;
• and
• wherein the spacing between respective first and second flat primary coils and the at least one flat secondary coil is small transversely to the direction of movement of the object to be accelerated.

An electromagnetic accelerator arrangement comprising:

• a stationary arrangement including at least one stationary primary coil;
• and
• a movable arrangement including at least one moveable secondary coil having a plurality of windings,
• wherein the planes of the stationary and the moveable coils are parallel to a direction of movement of the moveable arrangement;
• wherein the coils of the stationary and the movable arrangements have approximately the same coil width in the direction of movement of the moveable arrangement and transversely thereto;
• wherein the at least one stationary primary coil comprises at least two layers between which the at least one secondary coil of the movable arrangement is movably disposed, the distance between the layers being kept small transversely to the direction of movement of the moveable arrangement;
• and
• wherein the stationary arrangement comprises a plurality of stationary primary coils disposed regularly along the stationary arrangement in the direction of movement of the moveable arrangement.