Principle Issues and Future Prospect on Sliding Arc Ablation of Metal Rail

Arc ablation occurs when the armature passes over the surface of metal rail. Ablation not only seriously affects the service life, but also may cause the failure to launch. In this paper, the research status of sliding arc ablation technology is summarized from the mechanism of sliding arc ablation, the characterization method of sliding arc ablation degree, and the enhanced design of materials or structures. Three key issues that need to be further solved are listed: the influence mechanism of sliding arc ablation on microstructure and properties of metal materials, the service properties evaluation and quantitative characterization methods of metal material, as well as the modified and enhanced design of materials or structures. In response to those problems, efforts are needed to improve the awareness of sliding arc ablation with the theoretical basis and characterization methods, as well as guide the improvement and strengthening of rail design.