Transient loads from thrust excitation - Space vehicle design criteria /structures/
Analysis of transient loads produced by ignition of rocket engine during launch and flight operations for solid and liquid propellant rocket engines
Source record↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “Solid Rocket Engine”
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.
Fluidized-Solid-Fuel Injection Process
Report proposes development of rocket engines burning small grains of solid fuel entrained in gas streams. Main technical discussion in report divided into three parts: established fluidization technology; variety of rockets and rocket engines used by nations around the world; and rocket-engine equation. Discusses significance of specific impulse and ratio between initial and final masses of rocket. Concludes by stating three important reasons to proceed with new development: proposed engines safer; fluidized-solid-fuel injection process increases variety of solid-fuel formulations used; and development of fluidized-solid-fuel injection process provides base of engineering knowledge.
Taylor, William↗
Applying large solid boosters.
Large solid propellant booster rocket engine performance characteristics and development and operating cost estimates for several manned launched vehicle concepts
COST ESTIMATE↗
Casting propellant in rocket engine
A method is described for casting a solid propellant in the casing of a rocket engine having a continuous wall with a single opening which is formed by leaves of a material which melt at a temperature of the propellant and with curved edges concentric to the curvature of the spherical casing. The leaves are inserted into the spherical casing through the opening forming a core having a greater width than the width of the single opening and with curved peripheral edges. The cast propellant forms a solid mass and then heated to melt the leaves and provide a central opening with radial projecting flutes.
Roach, J. E.↗
SLS Test Stand Site Selection
Test site selection is a critical element of the design, development and production of a new system. With the advent of the new Space Launch System (SLS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had a number of test site selection decisions that needed to be made early enough in the Program to support the planned Launch Readiness Date (LRD). This case study focuses on decisions that needed to be made in 2011 and 2012 in preparation for the April 2013 DPMC decision about where to execute the Main Propulsion Test that is commonly referred to as "Green Run." Those decisions relied upon cooperative analysis between the Program, the Test Lab and Center Operations. The SLS is a human spaceflight vehicle designed to carry a crew farther into space than humans have previously flown. The vehicle consists of four parts: the crew capsule, the upper stage, the core stage, and the first stage solid rocket boosters. The crew capsule carries the astronauts, while the upper stage, the core stage, and solid rocket boosters provide thrust for the vehicle. In other words, the stages provide the "lift" part of the lift vehicle. In conjunction with the solid rocket boosters, the core stage provides the initial "get-off-the-ground" thrust to the vehicle. The ignition of the four core stage engines and two solid rocket boosters is the first step in the launch portion of the mission. The solid rocket boosters burn out after about 2 minutes of flight, and are then jettisoned. The core stage provides thrust until the vehicle reaches a specific altitude and speed, at which point the core stage is shut off and jettisoned, and the upper stage provides vehicle thrust for subsequent mission trajectories. The integrated core stage primarily consists of a liquid oxygen tank, a liquid hydrogen tank, and the four core stage engines. For the SLS program, four RS-25 engines were selected as the four core stage engines. The RS-25 engine is the same engine that was used for Space Shuttle. The test plan for the integrated core stage was broken down into several segments: Component testing, system level testing, and element level testing. In this context, components are items such as valves, controllers, sensors, etc. Systems are items such as an entire engine, a tank, or the outer stage body. The core stage itself is considered to be an element. The rocket engines are also considered an element. At the program level, it was decided to perform a single green run test on the integrated core stage prior to shipment of it to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for use in the EM-1 test flight of the SLS vehicle. A green run test is the first live fire of the new integrated core stage and engine elements - without boosters of course. The SLS Program had to decide where to perform SLS green run testing.
Crowe, Kathryn↗
Reentry aerodynamics forces and moments on the engine nozzle of the 146-inch solid rocket booster model 473 tested in MSFC 14 by 14 inch trisonic wind tunnel (SA30F)
A test of a model of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) was performed in a 14 x 14 inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel to determine the aerodynamic forces and moments imposed on the nozzle of the SRB during reentry. The model, with scale dimensions equal to 0.5479 of the actual SRB dimensions, was instrumented with a six-component force balance attached to the model nozzle so that only forces and moments acting on the nozzle were measured. A total of 137 runs (20 deg pitch polars) were performed during this test. The angle of attack ranged from 60 to 185 deg, the Reynolds number from 5.2 million to 7.6 million. The Mach numbers investigated were 1.96, 2.74, and 3.48. Five external protuberances were simulated. The effective roll angle simulated was 180 deg. The effects of three different heat shield configurations were investigated.
Johnson, J. D.↗
Launch-vehicle characteristics and spacecraft integration factors.
Interrelated design factors of launch vehicle and spacecraft examining characteristics of solid, liquid-solid and liquid propellant boosters
LIQUID PROPELLANT ROCKET ENGINE↗
Space Shuttle Program - An overview
The Space Shuttle's unique design features include multiple re-uses of its major elements, large cargo carrying capacity, and the capability of deploying, servicing, and retrieving a variety of payloads. These design features, i.e., reusability and cargo flexibility, were incorporated to satisfy the objective of providing a transportation system which will lower the cost of delivering a variety of payloads to the earth orbit. The Space Shuttle System consists of a reusable manned Orbiter containing three main engines, two reusable Solid Rocket Boosters, and an expendable External Tank containing propellant for the Orbiter main engines. On a typical Space Shuttle mission, the Orbiter will remain in orbit for up to 7 days conducting on-orbit observations and operations, return to earth with personnel and payload, land horizontally on a runway, and be readied for another flight in as few as 14 days. Another mission class includes deploying, servicing, and recovering satellites.
Kloves, T. R.↗
Rocket plume base heating methodology
A review of radiative transport calculation methods for base heating is presented followed by a description of the current methodology for the Space Shuttle plume radiation predictions and improvements for the Advanced Solid Rocket Booster (ASRB). The calculation methods include empirical methods, the SIRRM code and the forward and reverse Monte Carlo methods. Current plume radiation methods include those used for the Space Shuttle Main Engines and the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB). Methods being developed for the ASRB include changes in plume property prediction methodology and application of the reverse Monte Carlo method in predicting plume radiation models. Results of the prediction methods are compared with experimental measurements on the current SRB and on 1/6-scale motors using both SRB and ASRB propellants. Examples are also presented demonstrating the statistical results available with the reverse Monte Carlo method.
Reardon, John E.↗
ASRM radiation and flowfield prediction status
Existing and proposed methods for the prediction of plume radiation are discussed in terms of their application to the NASA Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) and Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) projects. Extrapolations of the Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) are discussed with respect to preliminary predictions of the primary and secondary radiation environments. The methodology for radiation and initial plume property predictions are set forth, including a new code for scattering media and independent secondary source models based on flight data. The Monte Carlo code employs a reverse-evaluation approach which traces rays back to their point of absorption in the plume. The SRM sea-level plume model is modified to account for the increased radiation in the ASRM plume due to the ASRM's propellant chemistry. The ASRM cycle-1 environment predictions are shown to identify a potential reason for the shutdown spike identified with pre-SRM staging.
Reardon, J. E.↗
Space Shuttle Five-Segment Booster (Short Course)
NASA is considering upgrading the Space Shuttle by adding a fifth segment (FSB) to the current four-segment solid rocket booster. Course materials cover design and engineering issues related to the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) raised by the addition of a fifth segment to the rocket booster. Topics cover include: four segment vs. five segment booster, abort modes, FSB grain design, erosive burning, enhanced propellant burn rate, FSB erosive burning model development and hardware configuration.
Graves, Stanley R.↗
Nuclear propulsion in the United States.
The achievements of the Nuclear Propulsion Program over the past 15 years are reviewed. It is shown that the effort in basic and applied research and technological development resulted in a state of technology of nuclear rocket engines based on solid core reactors, which is suitable for the development of a space propulsion system. Current efforts aimed at achieving specific impulses on the order of 975 sec (3400 K) are noted. The characteristics of SNRE (Small Nuclear Rocket Engine), the ALPHA, BETA, and GAMMA engines are discussed. Attention is given to the design and principles of operation of the Rotating Fluidized Dust Bed Reactor.
Gabriel, D. S.↗
Enhanced Large Solid Rocket Motor Understanding Through Performance Margin Testing: RSRM Five-Segment Engineering Test Motor (ETM-3)
The Five-Segment Engineering Test Motor (ETM-3) is an extended length reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) intended to increase motor performance and internal environments above the current four-segment RSRM flight motor. The principal purpose of ETM-3 is to provide a test article for RSRM component margin testing. As the RSRM and Space Shuttle in general continue to age, replacing obsolete materials becomes an ever-increasing issue. Having a five-segment motor that provides environments in excess of normal opera- tion allows a mechanism to subject replacement materials to a more severe environment than experienced in flight. Additionally, ETM-3 offers a second design data point from which to develop and/or validate analytical models that currently have some level of empiricism associated with them. These enhanced models have the potential to further the understanding of RSRM motor performance and solid rocket motor (SRM) propulsion in general. Furthermore, these data could be leveraged to support a five-segment booster (FSB) development program should the Space Shuttle program choose to pursue this option for abort mode enhancements during the ascent phase. A tertiary goal of ETM-3 is to challenge both the ATK Thiokol Propulsion and NASA MSFC technical personnel through the design and analysis of a large solid rocket motor without the benefit of a well-established performance database such as the RSRM. The end result of this undertaking will be a more competent and experienced workforce for both organizations. Of particular interest are the motor design characteristics and the systems engineering approach used to conduct a complex yet successful large motor static test. These aspects of ETM-3 and more will be summarized.
Huppi, Hal↗
Vibration, acoustic, and shock design and test criteria for components on the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB), Lightweight External Tank (LWT), and Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME)
The vibration, acoustics, and shock design and test criteria for components and subassemblies on the space shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB), lightweight tank (LWT), and main engines (SSME) are presented. Specifications for transportation, handling, and acceptance testing are also provided.
Source record↗
Predictions of launch-induced, near-field acoustics of clustered rocket engines using a scaling approach
A scaling technique is proposed for the prediction of clustered rocket engine, near-field acoustics. Scaling equations predict the mean square pressures and power spectral density (PSD) of an unknown vehicle, using near-field measurements from a similar vehicle. Separation of nonhomogeneous Shuttle acoustics into Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) and Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) component acoustics forms the basis for verification of the proposed scaling equations. Three separate models, based on the total Shuttle PSD, a three-SSME vehicle PSD, and a two-SRB vehicle PSD, are recommended for the Advanced Launch System (ALS) near-field predictions. Acoustic efficiency, equivalent diameter of closely/widely spaced clustered engines, and the use of a distance-dependent spectra for scaling ALS vehicle near-field acoustics are briefly addressed.
Sepcenko, Valentin↗
Development of a filament wound case design for solid propellant rocket motors in the 260-inch diameter class Final report
Research and development of fiber glass filament wound engine case design for 260 inch diameter class solid propellant rocket engines
Vogt, C. W.↗
Experimental research and design planning in the field of liquid-propellant rocket engines conducted between 1934 - 1944 by the followers of F. A. Tsander
The development of the following Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines (LPRE) is reviewed: (1) an alcohol-oxygen single-firing LPRE for use in wingless and winged rockets, (2) a similar multifiring LPRE for use in rocket gliders, (3) a combined solid-liquid propellant rocket engine, and (4) an aircraft LPRE operating on nitric acid and kerosene.
Dushkin, L. S.↗
Characterization of the Ignition Over-Pressure/Sound Suppression Water in the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher Using Volume of Fluid Modeling
The Space Launch System (SLS) Vehicle consists of a Core Stage with four RS-25 engines and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). This vehicle is launched from the Launchpad using a Mobile Launcher (ML) which supports the SLS vehicle until its liftoff from the ML under its own power. The combination of the four RS-25 engines and two SRBs generate a significant Ignition Over-Pressure (IOP) and Acoustic Sound environment. One of the mitigations of these environments is the Ignition Over-Pressure/Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) subsystem installed on the ML. This system consists of six water nozzles located parallel to and 24 inches downstream of each SRB nozzle exit plane as well as 16 water nozzles located parallel to and 53 inches downstream of the RS-25 nozzle exit plane. During launch of the SLS vehicle, water is ejected through each water nozzle to reduce the intensity of the transient pressure environment imposed upon the SLS vehicle. While required for the mitigation of the transient pressure environment on the SLS vehicle, the IOP/SS subsystem interacts (possibly adversely) with other systems located on the Launch Pad. One of the other systems that the IOP/SS water is anticipated to interact with is the Hydrogen Burn-Off Igniter System (HBOI). The HBOI system's purpose is to ignite the unburned hydrogen/air mixture that develops in and around the nozzle of the RS-25 engines during engine start. Due to the close proximity of the water system to the HBOI system, the presence of the IOP/SS may degrade the effectiveness of the HBOI system. Another system that the IOP/SS water may interact with adversely is the RS-25 engine nozzles and the SRB nozzles. The adverse interaction anticipated is the wetting, to a significant degree, of the RS-25 nozzles resulting in substantial weight of ice forming and water present to a significant degree upstream of the SRB nozzle exit plane inside the nozzle itself, posing significant additional blockage of the effluent that exits the nozzle upon motor start leading to detrimental effects. The purpose of the CFD simulations were to i) characterize the location of the IOP/SS water after it is ejected from the IOP/SS nozzles, ii) characterize the interaction of the IOP/SS system with the HBOI system and iii) characterize the interaction of the IOP/SS water with the RS-25 nozzles and the SRB nozzles.
West, Jeff↗