Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “STATIC FIRING”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Statistical analysis of SSME system data

A statistical methodology to enhance the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) performance prediction accuracy is proposed. This methodology was to be used in conjunction with existing SSME performance prediction computer codes to improve parameter prediction accuracy and to quantify that accuracy. However, after a review of related literature, researchers concluded that the proposed problem required a coverage of areas such as linear and nonlinear system theory, measurement theory, statistics, and stochastic estimation. Since state space theory is the foundation for a more complete study of each of the before mentioned areas, these researchers chose to refocus emphasis to cover the more specialized topic of state vector estimation procedures. State vector estimation was also selected because of current and future concerns by NASA for SSME performance evaluation; i.e., there is a current interest in an improved evaluation procedure for actual SSME post flight performance as well as for post static test performance of a single SSME. A current investigation of analytical methods may be used to improve test stand failure detection. This paper considers the issue of post flight/test state variable reconstruction through the application of observations made on the output of the Space Shuttle propulsion system. Rogers used the Kalman filtering procedure to reconstruct the state variables of the Space Shuttle propulsion system. An objective of this paper is to give the general setup of the Kalman filter and its connection to linear regression. A second objective is to examine the reconstruction methodology for application to the reconstruction of the state vector of a single Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) by using static test firing data.

Temple, Enoch C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Qualification Motor no. 8 (QM-8), volume 1

All inspection and instrumentation data indicate that the QM-8 static test firing conducted 20 January 1989 was successful. Ambient temperature at T-0 was 28 F. With two flights successfully accomplished, this final test in the redesigned solid rocket motor (RSRM) program certified that the design meets motor performance requirements under extreme cold conditions. This test was a prerequisite to the third flight. The entire test article was cold conditioned at 20 to 25 F for approximately 31 days to assure a maximum propellant mean bulk temperature (PMBT) of 40 F, making it the lowest PMBT in the history of the program. This extreme condition also presented the opportunity to certify critical components at low temperatures. Certification of field joint and igniter heaters, adhesive bondline integrity, flex bearing performance, flight instrumentation performance, RSRM seal performance, and LSC and nozzle plug performance was accomplished. Prior to motor ignition, the field joints were maintained between 75 to 130 F, the igniter-to-case joint was maintained between 75 to 123 F, and the case-to-nozzle joint was maintained between 75 to 120 F. QM-8 was tested with induced side loads to simulate the strut loads experienced during ignition and maximum aerodynamic loading conditions. The ability of the safe and arm device to change position from safe-to-arm and arm-to-safe was certified. Ballistics performance was certified at the lower limits. Values were within specification requirements. Nozzle performance was nominal with typical erosion. The use of Fiberite carbon-cloth phenolic was certified. The water deluge system, CO2 quench, and other test equipment performed as planned during all required test operations.

Garecht, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Technical Evaluation Motor 3 (TEM-3)

A primary objective of the technical evaluation motor program is to recover the case, igniter and nozzle hardware for use on the redesigned solid rocket motor flight program. Two qualification objectives were addressed and met on TEM-3. The Nylok thread locking device of the 1U100269-03 leak check port plug and the 1U52295-04 safe and arm utilizing Krytox grease on the barrier-booster shaft O-rings were both certified. All inspection and instrumentation data indicate that the TEM-3 static test firing conducted 23 May 1989 was successful. The test was conducted at ambient conditions with the exception of the field joints (set point of 121 F, with a minimum of 87 F at the sensors), igniter joint (set point at 122 F with a minimum of 87 F at sensors) and case-to-nozzle joint (set point at 114 F with a minimum of 87 F at sensors). Ballistics performance values were within specification requirements. Nozzle performance was nominal with typical erosion. The nozzle and the case joint temperatures were maintained at the heaters controlling set points while electrical power was supplied. The water and the CO2 quench systems prevented damage to the metal hardware. All other test equipment performed as planned, contributing to a successful motor firing. All indications are that the test was a success, and all expected hardware will be refurbished for the RSRM program.

Garecht, Diane↗
NASA NTRS1990

Summary of JAYGO mixing and FSM-1 application of castable inhibitor and liner

Two JAYGO planetary mixers (12 and 42 gallon) are being qualified to mix STW5-3224 liner and STW5-3223 castable inhibitor. These mixers are an integral part of a mix process which allows for safe addition of the asbestos component. An essential part of the engineering evaluation (ETP-0347) of these mixers is the generation of static test fire data. Ultimately, these results will help confirm the adequacy of these mixers for production mixing of liner and inhibitor. (These data are not required for qualification of the Certification Test Plan CTP-0125). The details on the mixing, inhibiting, and sling-lining of JAYGO-mixed castable inhibitor and liner which were applied to the FSM-1 segments are presented. The objectives are the following: (1) to document processing events surrounding the JAYO mixing of castable inhibitor and liner, and the subsequent inhibiting and sling lining onto the FSM-1 segments; and (2) to substantiate the measured properties of these JAYGO-mixed materials (rheological and mechanical) and compare these properties to existing production database.

Evans, Kurt B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Predicting ground level impacts of solid rocket motor testing

Beginning in August of 1988 and continuing until the present, NASA at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi has conducted environmental monitoring of selected static test firings of the solid rocket motor used on the Space Shuttle. The purpose of the study was to assess the modeling protocol adapted for use in predicting plume behavior for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor that is to be tested in Mississippi beginning in the mid-1990's. Both motors use an aluminum/ammonium perchlorate fuel that produces HCl and Al2O3 particulates as the major combustion products of concern. A combination of COMBUS.sr and PRISE.sr subroutines and the INPUFF model are used to predict the centerline stabilization height, the maximum concentration of HCl and Al2O3 at ground level, and distance to maximum concentration. Ground studies were conducted to evaluate the ability of the model to make these predictions. The modeling protocol was found to be conservative in the prediction of plume stabilization height and in the concentrations of the two emission products predicted.

Douglas, Willard L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

AP reclamation and reuse in RSRM propellant

A solid propellant ingredient reclamation pilot plant has been evaluated at the Strategic Operations of Thiokol Corporation, located in Brigham City, Utah. The plant produces AP wet cake (95 percent AP, 5 percent water) for recycling at AP vendors. AP has been obtained from two standard propellant binder systems (PBAN and HTPB). Analytical work conducted at Thiokol indicates that the vendor-recrystallized AP meets Space Shuttle propellant specification requirements. Thiokol has processed 1-, 5-, and 600-gallon propellant mixes with the recrystallized AP. Processing, cast, cure, ballistic, mechanical, and safety properties have been evaluated. Phillips Laboratory static-test-fired 70-pound and 800-pound BATES motors. The data indicate that propellant processed with reclaimed AP has nominal properties.

Miks, Kathryn F.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Modifications to the NASA SP-8072 Distributed Source Method II for Ares I Lift-off Environment Predictions

Lift-off acoustic environments for NASA's Ares I - Crew Launch Vehicle are predicted using the second source distribution methodology described in the NASA SP-8072. Three modifications made to the model include a shorter core length approximation, a core termination procedure upon plume deflection, and a new set of directivity indices measured from static test firings of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). The modified sound pressure level predictions increased more than 5 dB overall, and the peak levels shifted two third-octave bands higher in frequency.

Haynes, Jared↗
NASA NTRS2011

Qualification Status of Non-Asbestos Internal Insulation in the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Program

This paper provides a status of the qualification efforts associated with NASA's RSRMV non-asbestos internal insulation program. For many years, NASA has been actively engaged in removal of asbestos from the shuttle RSRM motors due to occupation health concerns where technicians are working with an EPA banned material. Careful laboratory and subscale testing has lead to the downselect of a organic fiber known as Polybenzimidazol to replace the asbestos fiber filler in the existing synthetic rubber copolymer Nitrile Butadiene - now named PBI/NBR. Manufacturing, processing, and layup of the new material has been a challenge due to the differences in the baseline shuttle RSRM internal insulator properties and PBI/NBR material properties. For this study, data gathering and reduction procedures for thermal and chemical property characterization for the new candidate material are discussed. Difficulties with test procedures, implementation of properties into the Charring Material Ablator (CMA) codes, and results correlation with static motor fire data are provided. After two successful five segment motor firings using the PBI/NBR insulator, performance results for the new material look good and the material should eventually be qualified for man rated use in large solid rocket motor applications.

Clayton, Louie↗
NASA NTRS1993

Solid propellant exhausted aluminum oxide and hydrogen chloride - Environmental considerations

Measurements of gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl) and particulate aluminum oxide (Al2O3) were made during penetrations of five Space Shuttle exhaust clouds and one static ground test firing of a shuttle booster. Instrumented aircraft were used to penetrate exhaust clouds and to measure and/or collect samples of exhaust for subsequent analyses. The focus was on the primary solid rocket motor exhaust products, HCl and Al2O3, from the Space Shuttle's solid boosters. Time-dependent behavior of HCl was determined for the exhaust clouds. Composition, morphology, surface chemistry, and particle size distributions were determined for the exhausted Al2O3. Results determined for the exhaust cloud from the static test firing were complicated by having large amounts of entrained alkaline ground debris (soil) in the lofted cloud. The entrained debris may have contributed to neutralization of in-cloud HCl.

Cofer, W. R., III↗
NASA NTRS1982

Analyses of processing variables in propellant burn rate and modulus. I - Mixing times

The effect of the final mixing time on quality of smokeless AP/HTPB propellant with bimodal AP was examined. Identical ingredients were mixed for various intervals, cast in a circular tube, then fired in a static test. Mechanical properties were measured and initial moduli were calculated from the initial slope of the S-N curves. A theoretical model was developed using the data to quantitatively configure a quality control procedure. A minimum time for mixing fine and coarse AP particles was identified and was approximated to within a factor of two or three using a viscous dispersion time and the surface areas of the particles. The model could be improved by considering settling time and particle size distribution effects.

Ramohalli, K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Qualification of improved joint heaters

Qualification testing of the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor improved igniter-to-case joint and field joint heaters was conducted on the fired TEM-04 static test motor and was completed on 7 Sep. 1989. The purpose of the test was to certify the installation and performance of the improved joint heaters for use on flight motors. The changes incorporated in the improved heaters improve durability and should reduce handling damage. The igniter-to-case joint and field joint primary heater circuits were subjected to five 20-hr ON cycles. The heater redundant circuits were then subjected to one 20-hr ON cycle. Voltage, current, and temperature set point values were maintained within the specified limits for both heaters during each ON cycle. When testing was complete, both heaters were removed and inspected. No discolorations or any other anomalies were found on either of the heaters. Based on the successful completion of this test, it is recommended that the improved igniter-to-case joint and field joint heaters be used on future flight motors.

Cook, M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

The 2003 Goddard Rocket Replica Project: A Reconstruction of the World's First Functional Liquid Rocket System

As a part of NASA s 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration, engineers and technicians at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama, in cooperation with the Alabama-Mississippi AIAA Section, have reconstructed historically accurate, functional replicas of Dr. Robert H. Goddard s 1926 first liquid- fuel rocket. The purposes of this project were to clearly understand, recreate, and document the mechanisms and workings of the 1926 rocket for exhibit and educational use, creating a vital resource for researchers studying the evolution of liquid rocketry for years to come. The MSFC team s reverse engineering activity has created detailed engineering-quality drawings and specifications describing the original rocket and how it was built, tested, and operated. Static hot-fire tests, as well as flight demonstrations, have further defined and quantified the actual performance and engineering actual performance and engineering challenges of this major segment in early aerospace history.

R. A. Farr↗
NASA NTRS2005

Making a Reliable Actuator Faster and More Affordable

Before any rocket is allowed to fly and be used for a manned mission, it is first test-fired on a static test stand to verify its flight readiness. NASA s Stennis Space Center provides testing of Space Shuttle Main Engines, rocket propulsion systems, and related components with several test facilities. It has been NASA s test-launch site since 1961. The testing stations age with time and repeated use; and with aging comes maintenance; and with maintenance comes expense. NASA has been seeking ways to lower the cost of maintaining the stations, and has aided in the development of an improved reliable linear actuator that arrives onsite quickly and costs less money than other actuators. In general terms, a linear actuator is a servomechanism that supplies a measured amount of energy for the operation of another mechanical system. Accuracy, reliability, and speed of the actuator are critical to performance of the entire system, and these actuators are critical components of the engine test stands. Partnership An actuator was developed as part of a Dual-Use Cooperative Agreement between BAFCO, Inc., of Warminister, Pennsylvania, and Stennis. BAFCO identified four suppliers that manufactured actuator components that met the rigorous testing standards imposed by the Space Agency and then modified these components for application on the rocket test stands. In partnership with BAFCO, the existing commercial products size and weight were reworked, reducing cost and delivery time. Previously, these parts would cost between $20,000 and $22,000, but with the new process, they now run between $11,000 and $13,000, a substantial savings, considering NASA has already purchased over 120 of the units. Delivery time of the cost-saving actuators has also been cut from over 20 to 22 weeks to within 8 to 10 weeks. The redesigned actuator is commercially available, and the company is successfully supplying them to customers other than NASA.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Morpheus: Advancing Technologies for Human Exploration

NASA's Morpheus Project has developed and tested a prototype planetary lander capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Designed to serve as a vertical testbed (VTB) for advanced spacecraft technologies, the vehicle provides a platform for bringing technologies from the laboratory into an integrated flight system at relatively low cost. This allows individual technologies to mature into capabilities that can be incorporated into human exploration missions. The Morpheus vehicle is propelled by a LOX/Methane engine and sized to carry a payload of 1100 lb to the lunar surface. In addition to VTB vehicles, the Project s major elements include ground support systems and an operations facility. Initial testing will demonstrate technologies used to perform autonomous hazard avoidance and precision landing on a lunar or other planetary surface. The Morpheus vehicle successfully performed a set of integrated vehicle test flights including hot-fire and tethered hover tests, leading up to un-tethered free-flights. The initial phase of this development and testing campaign is being conducted on-site at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), with the first fully integrated vehicle firing its engine less than one year after project initiation. Designed, developed, manufactured and operated in-house by engineers at JSC, the Morpheus Project represents an unprecedented departure from recent NASA programs that traditionally require longer, more expensive development lifecycles and testing at remote, dedicated testing facilities. Morpheus testing includes three major types of integrated tests. A hot-fire (HF) is a static vehicle test of the LOX/Methane propulsion system. Tether tests (TT) have the vehicle suspended above the ground using a crane, which allows testing of the propulsion and integrated Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) in hovering flight without the risk of a vehicle departure or crash. Morpheus free-flights (FF) test the complete Morpheus system without the additional safeguards provided during tether. A variety of free-flight trajectories are planned to incrementally build up to a fully functional Morpheus lander capable of flying planetary landing trajectories. In FY12, these tests will culminate with autonomous flights simulating a 1 km lunar approach trajectory, hazard avoidance maneuvers and precision landing in a prepared hazard field at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This paper describes Morpheus integrated testing campaign, infrastructure, and facilities, and the payloads being incorporated on the vehicle. The Project s fast pace, rapid prototyping, frequent testing, and lessons learned depart from traditional engineering development at JSC. The Morpheus team employs lean, agile development with a guiding belief that technologies offer promise, but capabilities offer solutions, achievable without astronomical costs and timelines.

Olansen, Jon B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solid-propellant rocket motor internal ballistics performance variation analysis, phase 5

The results of research aimed at improving the predictability of internal ballistics performance of solid-propellant rocket motors (SRM's) including thrust imbalance between two SRM's firing in parallel are presented. Static test data from the first six Space Shuttle SRM's is analyzed using a computer program previously developed for this purpose. The program permits intentional minor design biases affecting the imbalance between any two SMR's to be removed. Results for the last four of the six SRM's, with only the propellant bulk temperature as a non-random variable, are generally within limits predicted by theory. Extended studies of internal ballistic performance of single SRM's are presented based on an earlier developed mathematical model which includes an assessment of grain deformation. The erosive burning rate law used in the model is upgraded and made more general. Excellent results are obtained in predictions of the performances of five different SRM's of quite different sizes and configurations. These SRM's all employ PBAN type propellants with ammonium perchlorate oxidizer and 16 to 20% aluminum except one which uses carboxyl terminated butadiene binder. The only non-calculated parameters in the burning rate equations that are changed for the different SRM's are the zero crossflow velocity burning rate coefficients and exponents. The results, in general, confirm the importance of grain deformation. The improved internal ballistic model makes practical development of an effective computer program for application of an optimization technique to SRM design which is also demonstrated. The program uses a pattern search technique to minimize the difference between a desired thrust-time trace and one calculated based on the internal ballistic model.

Sforzini, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Neural basis for eye velocity generation in the vestibular nuclei of alert monkeys during off-vertical axis rotation

Activity of "vestibular only" (VO) and "vestibular plus saccade" (VPS) units was recorded in the rostral part of the medial vestibular nucleus and caudal part of the superior vestibular nucleus of alert rhesus monkeys. By estimating the "null axes" of recorded units (n = 79), the optimal plane of activation was approximately the mean plane of reciprocal semicircular canals, i.e., lateral canals, left anterior-right posterior (LARP) canals or right anterior-left posterior (RALP) canals. All units were excited by rotation in a direction that excited a corresponding ipsilateral semicircular canal. Thus, they all displayed a "type I" response. With the animal upright, there were rapid changes in firing rates of both VO and VPS units in response to steps of angular velocity about a vertical axis. The units were bidirectionally activated during vestibular nystagmus (VN), horizontal optokinetic nystagmus (OKN), optokinetic after-nystagmus (OKAN) and off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). The rising and falling time constants of the responses to rotation indicated that they were closely linked to velocity storage. There were differences between VPS and VO neurons in that activity of VO units followed the expected time course in response to a stimulus even during periods of drowsiness, when eye velocity was reduced. Firing rates of VPS units, on the other hand, were significantly reduced in the drowsy state. Lateral canal-related units had average firing rates that were linearly related to the bias or steady state level of horizontal eye velocity during OVAR over a range of +/- 60 deg/s. These units could be further divided into two classes according to whether they were modulated during OVAR. Non-modulated units (n = 5) were VO types and all modulated units (n = 5) were VPS types. There was no significant difference between the bias level sensitivities relative to eye velocity of the units with and without modulation (P > 0.05). The modulated units had no sustained change in firing rate in response to static head tilts and their phases relative to head position varied from unit to unit. The phase did not appear to be linked to the modulation of horizontal eye velocity during OVAR. The sensitivities of unit activity to eye velocity were similar during all stimulus modalities despite the different gains of eye velocity vs stimulus velocity during VN, OKN and OVAR. Therefore, VO and VPS units are likely to carry an eye velocity signal related to velocity storage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS).

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Role of Structural Dynamics and Testing in the Shuttle Flowliner Crack Investigation

During a normal inspection of the main propulsion system at Kennedy Space Center, small cracks were noticed near a slotted region of a gimbal joint flowliner located just upstream from one of the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME). These small cracks sparked an investigation of the entire Space Shuttle fleet main propulsion feedlines. The investigation was initiated to determine the cause of the small cracks and a repair method that would be needed to return the Shuttle fleet back to operation safely. The cracks were found to be initiated by structural resonance caused by flow fluctuations from the SSME low pressure fuel turbopump interacting with the flowliner. The pump induced backward traveling wakes that excited the liner and duct acoustics which also caused the liner to vibrate in complex mode shapes. The investigation involved an extensive effort by a team of engineers from the NASA civil servant and contractor workforce with the goal to characterize the root cause of the cracking behavior of the fuel side gimbal joint flowliners. In addition to working to identify the root cause, a parallel path was taken to characterize the material properties and fatigue capabilities of the liner material such that the life of the liners could be ascertained. As the characterization of the material and the most probable cause matured, the combination of the two with pump speed restrictions provided a means to return the Shuttle to flight in a safe manner. This paper traces the flowliner investigation results with respect to the structural dynamics analysis, component level testing and hot-fire flow testing on a static testbed. The paper will address the unique aspects of a very complex problem involving backflow from a high performance pump that has never been characterized nor understood to such detail. In addition, the paper will briefly address the flow phenomena that excited the liners, the unique structural dynamic modal characteristics and the variability of SSME operation which has ultimately ensured the safe and reliable operation of the shuttle main engines for each flight.

Frady, Gregory P.↗