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cta stronauticaVol. 29, No. 4, pp. 271-282, 1993 0094-5765/93 6.00 + 0.00
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved Copyright ~) 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd
D E V E L O P M E N T ST T U S O F T H E V U L C I N
T H R U S T C H M B E R t
E. IOgNFat , D. THELEMANN an d D. WOLF
Deutsche Aerospace, MBB GmbH, Space Communications and Propulsion Systems Division,
Pos tfach 801169, D8000 Mun ich 80, German y
Received 6 March 1991; received or publication 14 October 1992)
Abstrac t--The Vulca in engine planned to power the cryogenic main s tage of the future Ariane 5
launcher is presently under development. M BB is responsible for the thrust cha mb er of this engine.
Afte r 4 years predevelopment and 2 years development, numerous successful tests have been perform ed
on thrust chamber level and the engine development tests have just s tarted with the first ignition tests .
The thrust cham ber is scheduled to be qualification tested in 1993 and the first technological flight is
plann ed for 1995. The main development results for the thrust cham ber are given in this paper as well
as an outlook of the further development activities.
1. I N T R O D U T I O N
2 T H R U S T C H A M B E R M A I N C H A R A C T E R I S T IC S
T h e A r i a n e 5 re p r e s e n ts t h e n e x t m e m b e r o f t h e
s u c c e s sf u l A r i a n e l a u n c h v e h i c le s f a m i l y . T h e f l i g h t
p e r f o r m a n c e s w i l l b e
* w i t h a n u p p e r s t a g e ( F i g . 1 )
i n G T O m a x 6 80 0 k g p a y l o a d
i n L E O 1 8, 00 0 k g p a y l o a d
• w i t h t h e H e r m e s s p a c e p l a n e 2 3 , 00 0 k g .
I n b o t h c a s e s t h e l o w e r s t a g e i s p o w e r e d b y t w o
s o l i d b o o s t e r s ( P 2 3 0 ) a n d o n e s i n g l e c r y o g e n i c s t a g e
( H 1 5 5 ) . I t s V u l c a i n e n g i n e p r o v i d e s m o s t o f t h e
e n e r g y t o p l a c e p a y l o a d s i n t o t h e o r b i t .
M o r e t h a n 2 0 E u r o p e a n c o m p a n i e s c o n t r i b -
u t e d t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e V u l c a i n en g i n e
(F ig . 2 ) .
T h e E u r o p e a n S p a c e A g e n c y ( E S A ) h a s a ss i g n e d
t h e p r o g r a m m e m a n a g e m e n t t o t h e C e n t re N a t i o n a l
d E t u d e s S p a t i a l e s ( C N E S ) . A s t h e m a i n c o n t r a c t o r
f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e V u l c a i n en g i n e t h e F r e n c h
c o m p a n y S E P h a s b e e n s e l e c t e d .
M B B , a m e m b e r o f t h e D e u t s c h e A e r o s p a c e , h a s
t a k e n o v e r t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i ty f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t
o f t h e t h r u st c h a m b e r ( T C ) . W i t h i n t h is t a s k M B B
h a s e n t ru s t e d t h e S w e d i s h c o m p a n y V o l v o F l y g r n o t o r
( V F A ) , T r o l l h / i t t a n , w i t h t h e N o z z l e E x t e n s i o n ,
a n d t h e G e r m a n c o m p a n y M A N , M u n i c h , w it h th e
C a r d a n .
F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e f a c il i ty f o r d e v e l o p m e n t a n d
q u a l i f i c a t i o n t e st s o f t h e T C h a d b e e n r e a l i z e d al s o
u n d e r t h e r e s p o n s i b il i t y o f M B B i n L a m p o l d s h a u s e n ,
G e r m a n y .
T h e m a i n d a t a o f th e V u l c a in T C a r e s u m m a r i z e d
b e l o w :
T o t a l T C t h r u s t ( v a c u u m ) 1 00 7. 7 ( k N )
C h a m b e r p r e s s u r e 1 00 ( b a r )
M i x t u r e r a t i o 5 .6 ( - - )
S p e c i fi c i m p u l s e ( v a c u u m ) > 4 3 9 ( s )
M a s s < 6 2 0 ( k g )
L i f e 2 0 c y c l e s a n d
6 0 0 0 s c u m u l a t e d
l i fe t ime
R e l i ab i l i t y > 0 .99957
O v e r a l l d i m e n s i o n s
- - T o t a l l e n g th 3 0 02 ( m m )
- - N o z z l e o u t e r d i a m e t e r 1 85 5 ( m m )
F i g u r e 3 s h o w s a s k e t c h o f t h e V u l c a i n T C a n d i t s
m a i n c o m p o n e n t s .
T h e f o l l o w i n g f e a t u r e s c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e t h r u s t
c h a m b e r c o n c e p t
- - L O X / L H 2 c o m b u s t i o n
- - -- c o a xi a l p r o p e l l a n t i n j e c t i o n
- - r e g e n e r a t i v e c o o li n g o f t h e c o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r
- - d u m p c o o l i n g o f t h e n o z z le e x t e n si o n
- - p y r o t e c h n i c a l i g n i t i o n
- - g i m b a l j o i n t t o t h e s t r u c tu r e .
T h e T C i s c o m p o s e d o f t h e f o l lo w i n g c o m p o n e n t s
- - - -c a r d a n ( C A )
- - i n j e c t o r ( I N )
- - -- c o m b u st io n c h a m b e r ( C C ) a n d
- - n o z z l e e x t e n s i o n ( N E ) .
tPaper IAF-90-239 presented a t the 41st Congress of
the International Astronautical Federation, Dresden,
Germ any, 8 .-12 October 1990.
2.1. Cardan
T h e c a r d a n d e s i g n h a s b e e n s e l e c t e d a s a b a l l t y p e
c a r d a n a f t e r a t h o r o u g h s t u d y o f c o m p a r i s o n b e t w e e n
271
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272 E. KIRNER
e t a l
Fig. I . Ar iane 5 launcher .
t h e c r o s s t y p e a n d t h e b a l l t y p e v e r s io n . T h e m a i n
a d v a n t a g e o f t h e b a ll ty p e h a d b e e n f o u n d i n t h e
r e l a t i o n s t i f f n e s s t o m a s s a n d i n t h e c o m p a c t d e s i g n .
H o w e v e r , i t r e q u i r e s a h i g h e r g i m b a l f o r c e b e c a u s e o f
a g r e a t e r f r i c t i o n m o m e n t .
I n F i g . 4 t h e b a l l t y p e c a r d a n i s p r e s e n t e d w i t h i t s
m a j o r c o m p o n e n t s . T h e s e a r e t h e
- - b a l l u n i t , a tt a c h e d t o th e in j e c t o r L O X d o m e
- - s h a f t u n i t , c o n n e c t i n g t h e b a l l a n d s o c k e t u n i t
Fig. 3. Vulcain TC.
- - s o c k e t u n i t at t a c h e d t o t h e th r u s t c o n e
- - b o l t s a n d b e l l o w .
M a i n f e a t u r e s a r e
B a l l d i a m e t e r 1 35 m m
M a s s 3 3 k g
F r i ct io n m o m e n t < 5 k N m
A n g u l a r m o v e m e n t + 5 ° e a c h a x is .
T e c h n i c a l F e a t u r e s
. ~ , ~ - .
H y dr og en t ur bo p u m p i - - - - - - - - - - - 7 ~ ~ G i m b a l . . .
C o m b u s t io n c h a m b e r ~ O x y g e n m je c t to n v a lv e
G as g en era to r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ L ~ O x y g e n tu rb o p um p
duct o f ~ ' " x~ % W ~'e ~'~ -- - S a r e rE xh au st - - ~ , ~ , , l t g ~ . . . . _ _ , ,
h yd ro ge n tu rb o . . k ~ ~ ~ f ~ ' ~ , Z ) f f ' ~ r ~ o t g as v a lv e
pump ' ~ ~ ~ ] i j " Hydrogen i nj ec ti on va l ve
N oz zle y " S ~ r - - - ~ E x h a u s t d uct o f
~ - ~ . , , ~ , ~ k ? ~ oxyge n t ur bo pump
M B B - P a r t i c i p a t i o n
I
t?:i::iiii?: i i::~::i:: ::~BB ::iii::i:: ii i::iiiii i::i::
I::i~ ~.b~~.t.t°~..~.~.~~.
I
VOLVO
Nozzle
I
MAN
Gimbal
S P I
I
F I A T
LOX turbo pump t [ S iP
a s generator [
i i ~i:: :: i i~ ~ ii ::i i~i~a B :: i :: :: i i i i i i i i i iiiiiii t
,V,~ ves or propuls ions~'stem::l
Fig. 2. Vulcain engine.
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Vulcain thrust cham ber 273
i ~ ~ L i ~ i ~ i ~ i ~ i l i ~ i i i ~ i ~ i ~ i ~ i ~ ii i~ i l i ~ i ~ ~ i ~ i ~ i ~ i~ i ~ i ~ ? ~ ~ i i ~ i i ~ i ~ i ~ i i ~ ~ i ~ i ~ i ~~ i i~ ~ i ~ i i ~ i i~ ~ i ~ i ~ i ~ i ~~ i ~ i i i i ~ i ~ i i i ~ i i ~ i i i i i i ~ i ~ i i i i i ~i i i i ~ i ~ i i i i ~ i i i ~ i i i i ~ i i i i ~ i
~ ~ iiiiiiiii~i~ iiiii~iiiiiiiii ~ i~ ii~i~ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i ~ i~¸¸ ~ii~i~i~i~i~i~i~i~':'... i ~,~~ i~ ~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : i i l ~ ~ 1
C ardan fo r Vu lcan Eng ine (HM 60)
Fig. 4. Ball type cardan.
2 2 In jec tor
T h e m o s t e f f ic i en c y i n f l u e n c in g c o m p o n e n t o f t h e
t h r u s t c h a m b e r i s t h e i n j e c t o r . U s i n g t h e c o a x i a l
i n j e c t i o n p r i n c i p l e f o r t h e t w o p r o p e l l a n t s , t h e c e n t r e
b o r e s e r v e s a s t h e f e e d e r f o r t h e l i q u i d o x y g e n a n d
t h e s u r r o u n d i n g a n g u l a r g a p i n j e c ts th e w a r m e d - u p
h y d r o g e n . T h e i n j e c t o r c o n s i st s o f t h e f o l l o w i n g
m a j o r c o m p o n e n t s
L O X d o m e
B a s e b o d y w i t h L O X p o s t s
F a c e p l a t e
H2 s l eeves and H2 s c rews
S c r e w s a n d s e a l s .
T h e L O X d o m e i s a ca s t, H I P - t r e a t e d a n d
m a c h i n e d p i e c e m a d e f r o m I n c o n e l 7 18 . T h e b a s e
b o d y i s m a c h i n e d f r o m a f o r g e d I n c o n e l 7 1 8 p l a te .
I n 5 1 6 d r i l l e d h o l e s t h e L O X p o s t s a r e d i f f u s io n
b o n d e d . I n t h e c e n t r e h o l e t h e i g n i t e r tu b e i s
a r r a n g e d . T h e g a s e o u s h y d r o g e n i s i n t r o d u c e d i n t o
t h e c o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r b y m e a n s o f t h e H 2 - sl ee v es
s c re w e d o n t h e L O X p o s t s. T h e f a ce p l a te m a d e o u t
o f p u r e c o p p e r i s f ix e d b y C u C r s cr e w s o n t h e L O X
p o s t s . F i g u r e 5 s h o w s t h e b a s e b o d y w i t h 5 1 6 L O X
p o s t s r e a d y f o r a s s e m b l y .
2 3 C omb us t ion chamber
T h e l if e d e t e r m i n a t i v e c o m p o n e n t o f t h e t h r u s t
c h a m b e r i s th e r e g e n e ra t i ve l y c o o l e d c o m b u s t i o n
c h a m b e r w i t h i t s l i n e r. T h e l a t t e r i s d e s i g n e d t o
w o r k w i t h i n t h e p l a s t i c r a n g e u p t o 3 s t r a i n . T h e
l i n er is f a b r i c a te d o u t o f a v a c u u m c a s t b l a n k f r o m
Fig. 5. Injector base body.
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274 E. KIRNERet al
a CuAgZr alloy. It contains 360 cooling channels
closed out by an electrodeposited nickel shell. The
manifolds for the inlet and outlet of the coolant are
made from Inconel 718, both attached to the chamber
body by EB welding. Figure 6 shows the CC liner
with the slots filled with wax and prepared for the
electrodeposition process.
2 4 Nozzle extension
The dump cooled NE subcontracted from MBB
to VFA Sweden), is one of the most filigree com-
ponents of the HM60-thrust chamber. It consists
mainly of the
• structure
• inlet manifold
e outlet manifo ld with the brackets for the
TP exhaust pipes and with 228 nozzlets for
exhausting the dump and
• various stiffener rings.
The structure is composed of 456 square tubes of
0.4 mm wall thickness, 4 mm outer dimensio n and
constant cross section. The tubes are made out of
Inconel 600, as well as all other NE components.
The tubes are bent in a special arrangement, thus
covering the increasing surface area of the nozzle
extension. Fixed on a cone with wire the tubes are
TIG welded together by means of a robot welding
machine developed within the frame of the contract.
All the manifolds and the stiffeners are attached by
welding. The total weld seam length is aroun d 2000 m
per each NE.
The NE surface is 7.6 m:. The mass of the engin-
eering model is around 220 kg. Its flight version is
expected to have 170 kg, yielding a surface mass o f
2.2 g/cm:. Figure 7 shows the finished NE with
instrumentatio n ready for TC integration.
3 THRUST CHAMBER DEVELOPMENT
The development of the TC is performed in two
parts:
a preparatory phase and
a development phase.
3 I Preparatory phase
After several studies in the period 1980-1984 the
preparatory phase for the TC and TC-components
had been performed from Oct ober 1984 to 1987.
The main objectives can be summarized as follows
--to develop the adequate software for model-
ization and calculation
to create the required technologies respectively
to adapt existing technologies from previous
programmes
--to realize the necessary facilities for manu-
facturing and testing
--to design and manufacture subscale hardware
for the demonstration and optimization of
critical development items in hot tests.
3 1 1 Software for modelization and calculation
Numerous finite element models for the total TC
and its components have been established to
determine stresses, masses, centres of gravity and
moments of inertia, to ensure an optimized com-
ponent design. Computer programmes for calcu-
lations of the following main design works have been
established, adopted to the present task and perma-
nently improved on the basis of hot test results gained
from previous in-house and external development
programmes and from the below described HM60
subscale programme.
These are, in detail, programmes for the
calculation of
the thermodynamic and transport properties of
the relevant fluids
Fig. 6. Combustion chamber liner.
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Vulcain thrust chamb er 275
- - t h e g e o m e t r i c a l d e f i n it i o n o f th e c o n t o u r o f
c o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r a n d n o z z le e x t e n si o n
- - t h e p l a s t ic st r es s a n d s t r a i n o f t h e C C h o t g a s
w a l l r e s u l t i n g i n l i f e p r e d i c t i o n
- - t h e c o o l i n g p e r f o r m a n c e s a n d p r e s s u r e d r o p s
f o r C C a n d N E
- - t h e t r a n s i e n t a n d s t e a d y s t at e b e h a v i o u r o f
c r y o g e n i c r o c k e t e n g i n e s .
F u r t h e r m o r e p r o g r a m m e s f o r p re d i c ti o n o f
i g n i t i o n a n d s t a r t u p b e h a v i o u r o f s t a b i l it y a t l o w
a n d h i g h f r e q u e n c i e s a n d f o r t h e c a l c u l a t i o n o f
s u p e r s o n i c f l o w e x p a n s i o n i n n o z z l e s h a v e b e e n
d e v e l o p e d a n d p e r m a n e n t l y c h e c k e d a n d a d a p t e d
o n t h e b a s i s o f a v a i l a b l e t e s t r e s u lt s .
3 1 2 Technologies
W i t h i n t h e p r e p a r a t o r y p h a s e
c r i ti c a l m a n u f a c t u r i n g s t ep s o f a l l T C c o m p o n e n t s
h a d b e e n i n v e s t i g a t e d a s w e ll a s a l l to o l s a n d d e v i c e s
f o r f a b r i c a t i o n a n d c o l d t e s t i n g w e r e r e a l i z e d i n t h e i r
b a s i c v e r s i o n .
A f t e r a n i n t e n s i v e c o m p a r i s o n s t u d y o f d i f f e r e n t
c a r d a n c o n c e p t s t h e c a r d a n d e s i g n w a s s e l e c t e d a s a
ba l l t ype w i th re s pec t to the ex ce l l en t ma s s to s t i f fne s s
r a t io . T h e i m p o r t a n t i t em f o r t h i s c o m p o n e n t w a s t o
s e le c t s u i t a b l e g l id i n g f o i l s e n s u r i n g t h e r e q u i r e d l o w
f r i ct i o n m o m e n t a c c e p t a b l e w e a r o u t b e h a v i o u r a n d
h i g h r e s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t p e e l i n g of f. A P T F E b a s e d f o i l
w a s c h o s e n w h i c h f u l f i ll e d t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s i n t h e
b e s t w a y .
F o r t h e i n je c t o r t w o m a j o r p r o b l e m a r e a s h a d
o c c u r r e d d u r i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e f i r s t o n e c o n -
c e r n e d t h e c a s t in g p r o c e s s o f t he c o m p l i c a t e d L O X -
d o m e w h i c h y i e l d e d s o m e s c r a p s in t h e b e g i n n i n g .
H o w e v e r a f t e r so m e m o d i f i c a t i o n s o f t h e c a st i n g
t o o l s a n d o p t i m i z a t i o n o f t h e d e s i g n w i t h r e s p e c t t o
t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s f r o m t h e c a s t i n g p r o c e s s t h e p r o -
d u c t i o n o f t h i s I n c o n e l 7 1 8 p a r t i s n o w r u n n i n g
w i t h o u t p r o b l e m s . T h e s e c o n d p r o b l e m a t i c i t e m h a d
b e e n f o u n d i n t h e L O X p o s t s t o in j e c t o r b a s e b o d y
c o n n e c t i o n . E x c e s s iv e t e c h n o l o g i c a l w o r k h a d b e e n
Fig. 7. Nozzle extension ready for integration.
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276 E. KIRNER
et al
p e r f o r m e d i n o r d e r t o s e l ec t t h e m o s t r e l i a b l e a n d
c o s t e f fe c t iv e c o n n e c t i o n t e c h n i q u e b e t w e e n t h e t h r e e
m o s t p r o m i s i n g m e t h o d s , i .e .
- - t o s p a r k e r o d e t h e 5 16 p o s t s o u t o f a f o rg e d
I n c o n e l 7 1 8 p l a t e
- - t o c o n n e c t s e p a r a te l y f a b r i c a t e d L O X p o s t s w it h
b a s e b o d y b y f r i c t io n w e l d i n g o r
- - t o c o n n e c t p o s t s a n d b a s e b o d y b y m e a n s o f
d i f f u s i o n b o n d i n g .
3 1 4 S u b s c a le p r o g r a m m e
A s u b s c a l e t h r u s t
c h a m b e r p r o g r a m m e h a d b e e n i n i t i a t e d , i n o r d e r t o
inves t iga te s ome c r i t i c a l de s ign fea tu re s . The ex i s t -
i n g H M 7 - T C - t e s t f a c i li t y i n O T N w a s a d a p t e d t o
t h e V u l c a i n s u b s c a l e c o n d i t i o n s . W a t e r c o o l e d a n d
r e g e n e r a t i v e l y c o o l e d T C s s u b s c a l e d b y 1 2 7 (t h r u s t )
w i t h a 1 9 e l e m e n t i n j e c t o r h a d b e e n d e s i g n e d ,
m a n u f a c t u r e d a n d t e s t e d ( F i g . 9 ) . T h e f o l l o w i n g
o b j e c t i v e s h a d b e e n i n v e s t i g a t e d a n d s u c c e ss f u ll y
d e m o n s t r a t e d :
R e g a r d i n g a l l a s p e c t s, l i k e s a f e t y , r e l i a b i l i ty a n d c o s t ,
t h e l a s t m e t h o d h a d f i n a l ly b e e n s e l e c t ed .
T h e m a i n t e c h n o l o g i c a l e f fo r t s f o r th e p r e d e v e l o p -
m e n t o f th e c o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r h a d b e e n co n c e n -
t r a t e d o n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e p r o p e r t i e s o f t h e
i m p r o v e d l i n er m a t e r i a l C u A g 3 Z r 0 . 5 i n t he t o t a l
a p p l i c a t i o n r a n g e , i . e. b e t w e e n 2 0 a n d 7 00 K . A l s o
t h e b o n d s t r e n g t h t o e l e c t r o p l a t e d n ic k e l h a d b e e n
t h o r o u g h l y i n v e s t i g a t e d .
F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e H 2 e m b r i t t l e m e n t r i sk f o r t h e
r e l e v an t c o m p o n e n t m a t e r i a l s h a d b e e n s t u d i e d i n
d e t a i l ( i. e . C u , N i a n d t h e i r a l l o y s ) . E s p e c i a l ly t h e
o p t i m i z a t i o n o f t h e c a s t i n g a n d f o r g i n g p r o c e s s f o r
t h e l i n e r b l a n k c o n s u m e d a l o t o f ti m e a n d e f f o r t u n ti l
t h e r e q u i r e d q u a l i t y c o u l d b e r e a c h e d .
T h e f a b r i c a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y f o r t h e N E h a d a l r e a d y
b e e n d e v e l o p e d b y M B B w i t h i n t he A r i a n e 1 p r o -
g r a m m e . T h i s t e c h n o l o g y h a d b e e n t r a n s f e r r e d t o
V F A a n d a d a p t e d t o t h e s i g ni f ic a n t e n l a r g e m e n t
o f t h e n o z z l e e x t e n s i o n f o r t h e V u l c a i n e n g i n e i n
t h e A r i a n e 5 p r o g r a m m e . A l l d ev i ce s f o r b e n d i n g ,
b u n d l i n g , w e l d i n g a n d h a n d l i n g h a d b e e n r e a l i z e d .
T h e m a i n e f f o r t s h e r e h a d b e e n p u t o n t h e d e v e l o p -
m e n t o f a r o b o t w e l d i n g sy s t e m , b e c a u s e h a n d w e l d -
i n g w a s n o l o n g e r r e a s o n a b l e w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e
w e l d s e a m l e n g t h o f a b o u t 2 0 0 0 m f o r e a c h n o z z l e
e x t e n s i o n .
3 1 3 F a c i l i t i e s
T w o m a j o r f a c i li t ie s f o r t h e T C
d e v e l o p m e n t h a d t o b e r e a li z e d a n d a d a p t e d . T h e
G a l v a n i c p l a n t u s ed f o r A r i a n e 1 w a s t o o s m a l l
f o r t h e l ar g er p r e p a r a t i o n - - a n d e l e c t r o d e p o s i ti o n - -
b a t h e s r e q u i r e d f o r A r i a n e 5 . T h e e x i s t i n g b u i l d i n g
h a d b e e n e x t en d e d a n d l a r g e r b a t h e s h a d b e e n p r o -
c u r e d , i n s t a l l e d a n d a c t i v a t e d .
A s a t e s t a r e a f o r T C h o t t e s t s , t h e e x i s t i n g
f a c i li t ie s i n L a m p o l d s h a u s e n o n t h e p r e m i s e s o f
D L R ( D e u t s c h e L u f t - u n d R a u m f a h r t a g e n t u r ) h a d
t o b e m o d i f i e d a n d a n e w h o t t e s t f a ci l i ty , c a l l e d
P 3 . 2 , h a d b e e n d e s i g n e d a n d c o n s t r u c t e d d u r i n g t h e
p r e d e v e l o p m e n t p h a s e u n d e r a s e p a r a t e c o n t r a c t
f r o m C N E S ( s e e F i g . 8 ) . T h i s h i g h p r e s s u r e f e d
f a c i l it y a l l o w s c h a m b e r p r e s s u r e s u p t o a b o u t 1 50 b a r
c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o a t h r u s t o f a b o u t 1 50 0 k N . F o r
r e fe r e nc e p o i n t c o n d i t i o n s a r u n d u r a t i o n o f a b o u t
17 s i s pos s ib le , t he l im i t a t ion i s r e s u l t ing f rom the
t a n k c a p a c it i e s f o r t h e L H 2 - - r e s p . L O X - - r u n t a n k s.
T h e t e s t fa c i l it y h a d b e e n e s t a b l i s h e d w i t h a s u i t-
a b l e c o n t r o l a n d m e a s u r e m e n t c e n t r e d u r i n g t h e
p r e d e v e l o p m e n t p h a s e .
- - c o m b u s t i o n ef fi ci en c y o f m o r e t h a n 99 w i t h
o p t i m i z e d i n j e c t i o n e l e m e n t g e o m e t r y h a v i n g
a p r o p e l l a n t v e l o c i ty r a t i o o f 2 1 a n d a r e c e ss
o f t h e L O X p o s t s o f 3 m m . S w i r le r s i n th e
L O X p o s t s d i d n o t i m p r o v e s i g n i f i c a n tl y t h e
eff ic iency
- - n o h i n t s o n c o m b u s t i o n i n s t a b i l i t i e s
- - t h e t h e r m a l a n d m e c h a n i c a l i n t e g ri t y o f t h e
s t a b i l i t y i m p r o v i n g d e v i c e s l i k e th e 6 0 m m l o n g
ba f f l e s and the acous t i c c av i t i e s
- - t h e r m o - m e c h a n i c a l i n t e g r i t y o f t h e n e w l i n e r
m a t e r i a l
- - j e t s e p a r a t i o n i n a w a t e r c o o l e d s u b s c a l e d
C u - n o z z l e t o d e m o n s t r a t e t h e t r a n s i e n t a l
b e h a v i o u r o f t h e n o z z l e f l o w a n d d e f i n e t h e
c o r r e c t c o n t o u r w i t h r e s p e c t t o s i d e l o a d s a n d
nozz le e f f ic i ency
- - c o o l i n g p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e t u b u l a r s u b s ca l e d
d u m p c o o l e d n o z z l e h a v i n g t h e i n l e t a t a n o z z l e
a r e a r a t i o o f 5 .
Fig . 8. TC test facility P3 .2 in Lam poldshausen.
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Vulcain thrust cham ber 277
3 2 Development phase
T h e T C d e v e l o p m e n t w a s i n i t ia t e d i n 1 9 88 a n d i s
s c h e d u l e d t o b e c o n c l u d e d i n 1 9 94 . W i t h i n t h i s p e r i o d
t h e T C w i l l b e
• d e s i g n e d ( i n c l u d i n g 3 r e d e s i g n c y c l e s )
• f a b r i c a t e d ( 30 o p e r a t i o n a l T C s )
• t e s t e d a t T C l e v el ( ~ 2 2 0 t e s t s )
• t e s t e d a t m o t o r l e v e l ( ~ 4 0 0 t e s ts )
• qua l i f i ed (a t TC l eve l ) .
T h e g e n e r a l d e v e l o p m e n t l o g i c i s t o i m p r o v e t h e
T C s t e p w i s e f r o m a f i rs t e n g i n e e r i n g ( E ) - t y p e v e r s io n
u p t o t h e f i n al f l i g h t v e r s i o n t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t b o t h
t h e o r e t ic a l a n d e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s u l ts g a i n e d d u r i n g t h e
d e v e l o p m e n t p h a s e ( F i g . 1 0 ) .
F o u r d i f f e r e n t h a r d w a r e d e s i g n s t a t u s w i l l b e
r e a l i z e d w h i c h a l l o w s f o r t h r e e r e d e s i g n - c y c l e s :
• E - t y p e h a r d w a r e i s a b a t t l e s h i p - l i k e d e s i g n v e r s io n
• P I ( P r o t o t y p e l ) i s b a s e d o n F E M - c a l c u l a t i o n s
a n d p a r t i a l l y o n t e s t r e s u l t s g a i n e d w i t h t h e
E - t y p e T C
• P I I ( P r o t o t y p e 2 ) t a k e s i n t o a c c o u n t t e s t r e s u l t s
f r o m E - a n d P I - T C a n d f i r s t e n g i n e t e s t r e s u l t s
, P I I I ( P r o t o t y p e 3 ) i s t h e f in a l v e r s io n t o b e
q u a l i f i c a t i o n t e s t e d , w h i c h c o n s i d e r s a l l a v a i l a b l e
i n f o r m a t i o n i n c l u d i n g m o t o r t e st r e s u lt s .
3 2 1 Design status
T h e d e s ig n o f t h e E - a n d
P I - t y p e T C s i s c o n c l u d e d . T h e P I I - t y p e T C d e s i gn i s
p r e s e n t l y i n p r o g r e s s . S e v e r a l m o d i f i c a t i o n s r e l a t i v e
t o t h e p r e v i o u s T C t y p e s w i l l b e i m p l e m e n t e d i n t o t h i s
d e s i g n , w h i c h r e s u l t s f r o m T C h o t t e s t s a n d f r o m
f a b r i c a t i o n e x p e r ie n c e . M a j o r m o d i f i c a t i o n s a re :
• T h e c a r d a n i s p r e s e n t l y i n o p t i m i z a t i o n r e l a t i v e t o
m a s s , s t i ff n e s s a n d f r i c t i o n m o m e n t
~ - . ~ . ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ i . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . "
~
ii i :'(- ,
Fig. 9. Subscale experimental TC.
•
I n j e c t o r p r e ss u r e d r o p
T h e o x y g e n - p r e s s u r e d r o p i n t h e i n j e c t o r i s
i n c r e a s e d t o p r o v i d e h i g h e r m a r g i n a g a i n s t l o w
f r e q u e n c y c h a m b e r p r e s su r e o s c i l l a t io n s
• L O X - d o m e c a s t i n g
S e v e r a l d e s ig n m o d i f i c a t i o n s h a v e b e e n a p p l i e d t o
r e d u c e f a b r i c a t i o n c o s t a n d s c r a p r a t e
1 9 9 1 1 9 9 9 1 9 9 o j
D E S J G N F A B R I C A T I O N
D E S I G N F A B R I C A T I O N
III
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T T E S T I N G
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Fig. 10. Vulcain TC development plan.
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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/kirner-et-alkirner-1993 8/12
278 E. KIRNERet al
• C o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r c o o l i n g j a c k e t
I n o r d e r t o i n c r e a s e th e C C l i fe b e y o n d t h e
s p e c if i e d v a l u e t h e h e i g h t o f t h e c o o l i n g c h a n n e l s
w i l l b e r e d u c e d
B y t h i s m e a s u r e t h e l o w c y c l e f a t i g u e l i f e o f t h e
c h a m b e r w i l l b e i n c r e a s e d b y a f a c t o r o f 2.
• N o z z l e e x t e n s i o n s t if f e n in g
T h e n o z z l e is st i ff e n e d b y a d d i t i o n a l h a t b a n d s i n
o r d e r t o a v o i d b u c k l i n g u n d e r e x t r e m e c o n d i t i o n s
d u r i n g s t a r t - a n d s h u t - d o w n t r a n s i e n t s .
M i n o r m o d i f i c a ti o n s m i g h t b e i n t r o d u c e d r e s u lt i ng
f r o m e x p e r i e n ce g a in e d o n f u r t h e r T C a n d e n g i n e
tes ts .
3 2 2 F a b r i c a t i o n s t a t u s A t o t a l o f 3 0 o p e r -
a t i o n a l T C s a n d 2 f u l ls c a le m o c k - u p s a r e p l a n n e d
t o b e f a b r i c a t e d . T h e r e p a r t i t i o n o f t h e s e T C s i s
a s f o ll o w s : 8 fo r T C - d e v e l o p m e n t , 1 5 f o r m o t o r
d e v e l o p m e n t , 5 s p a r e s a n d 2 f o r t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l
f l i g h t s . P r e s e n t l y 6 T C s a r e a v a i l a b l e f o r t e s t i n g ,
3 o f th e m a r e d e l iv e r e d to S E P f o r m o t o r i n te -
g r a t i o n . I n a d d i t i o n 1 0 T C s a r e i n f a b r i c a t i o n a t
v a r i o u s f i n a l i z a t i o n s t a tu s .
R e c e n t l y a p r o b l e m i n t h e e l e c t r o d e p o s i ti o n p r o -
c e s s o c c u r r e d ; d u e t o a n i m p u r i t y i n t h e g a l v a n i c
b a t h t h e r e q u e s t e d N i - l a y e r st r e n g t h c o u l d n o t b e
a c h ie v e d . T h e N i - o u t e r s h el l o f f o u r c h a m b e r s h a d t o
b e p a r t i a l l y r e m o v e d a n d r e w o r k e d a f t e r r e g e n e ra t i o n
o f t h e b a t h e s .
3 2 3 S t a t u s o f t e s t i n g a t t h e T C l e ve l T e s t i n g
c o m p r i s e s c o l d t e s ti n g o n s u b c o m p o n e n t l e v e l e . g.
i n j e c t o r , c o m b u s t i o n c h a m b e r ) , o n i n t e g r a t e d T C
l e v el a n d h o t t e s t i n g o f t h e T C o n t h e p r e s s u r e f e d t e s t
f a c il i ty P 3. 2 i n L a m p o l d s h a u s e n , G e r m a n y .
A l l su b c o m p o n e n t s w e r e e x p o s e d to n u m e r o u s
n o n d e s t r u c t i v e c o l d t e s t s e . g. p r e s su r e - , l e a k -
a n d t h e r m o c h e c k t e s t s ) b e f o r e r e l e a s e f o r T C
i n t e g r a t i o n .
A t o t a l o f 22 0 t e s ts w i t h th e i n t e g r a t e d T C a r e
p l a n n e d , o f w h i c h a b o u t 2 0 0 a r e h o t t e s t r u n s . T h e
m a i n o b j e c t i v e s o f h o t t e s t i n g a r e
• p r o o f o f h a r d w a r e t h e r m a l a n d m e c h a n i c a l
i n t e g r i t y
e d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f t h e t h e o r e ti c a l ly p r e d i c t e d
d e s ig n d a t a a n d a d a p t i o n o f m o d e l i z a t io n s
p e r f o r m a n c e , c o o l i n g , e t c ) .
• p r o o f o f c y c l e l i f e
• p r o o f o f c o m b u s t i o n s t a b i li t y
• d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f m a r g i n s
e i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f T C b e h a v i o u r u n d e r s p e c if i c
fa i lu re s
• p r o o f o f R A M S a s p e c ts R e l i a b il i ty , A v a i l a b i l it y ,
M a i n t a i n a b i l i t y , S a f e ty )
• a n a l y s i s o f i g n i t i o n , st a r t a n d s h u t - d o w n
• a c h i e v e m e n t o f t h e q u a l i f i c a t i o n o n T C l e ve l .
A t o t a l o f 7 0 s u c c e s s f u l T C t e s t s w e r e p e r f o r m e d
u n t i l A u g u s t 1 9 9 0 . T h e T C h a s b e e n t e s t e d i n t h e
e n t i r e o p e r a t i o n a l a n d e x t r e m e e n v e l o p e F i g . 1 1) ,
w h e r e i n , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e t y p e o f t e st , th e e x p l o -
r a t i o n o f u p t o f i v e e n v e l o p e p o i n t s w a s a c h i e v e d
w i t h i n o n e p a r t i c u l a r r u n . T h e m o s t e s s e n t i a l r e s u l ts
a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h e f o l l o w i n g .
3 2 4 I gn i t i on and s t a r t up
R e l i a b l e i g n i t i o n i n
n o r m a l T C h o t t e s t s i .e . h i g h p r e s s u r e s t a r t u p ) i s
a c h i e v e d b y u s i n g a p y r o t e c h n i c a l i g n i t e r h a v i n g a
m a s s f l o w o f 3 0 0 g / s a n d a f l a m e t e m p e r a t u r e o f
a b o u t 2 2 0 0 K .
I n s p e ci f ic te s t s i g n i t i o n o f t h e T C w a s i n v e s t i -
g a t e d e v e n u n d e r e x t r e m e p r o p e l l a n t i n l e t c o n d i t i o n s
i . e . t e m p e r a t u r e , p r e s s u r e , i g n i t e r m a s s f l o w , p u r g -
ing ) . The re s u l t s ga ined in th i s pa r t i cu la r t e s t s e r i e s
a r e t h e b a s i s f o r t a i l o r i n g t h e e n g i n e i g n i t io n a n d s t a r t
s e q u e n c e u n d e r l o w p r e s s u r e t a n k h e a d c o n d i t i o n s .
F i g u r e 1 2 s h o w s a t y p i c a l i g n i t i o n a n d s t a r t s e q u e n c e .
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3 2 5 Co m b u s t io n s ta b i l i ty
I n e a c h T C t e s t sp e c i fi c
c a r e i s t a k e n o n t h e o c c u r r e n c e o f p o s s i b l e l o w
f r e q u e n c y L F ) a n d h i g h f r e q u e n c y H F ) in s t ab i l it i e s;
u p t o n o w , e v e n u n d e r a d v e r s e t e s t c o n d i t i o n s , n o
i n s t a b i l i t i e s c o u l d b e o b s e r v e d .
A t y p i c a l r e c o r d o f t h e f e e d l i n e fr e q u e n c i e s i n
t h e L O X - d o m e i s s h o w n i n F i g . 13 f o r th e t r a n s i e n t
p h a s e s a n d f o r a m a i n s t a g e c o n d i t i o n a s i n d i -
c a t e d . T h e d i a g r a m s s h o w f r e q u e n c i e s b e l o w 5 0 0 H z
c h u g g i n g ) , m a i n l y d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e h y d r a u l i c
d a t a o f th e f e ed l in e s a n d t h e L O X - d o m e a n d v a r y i n g
w i t h t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f th e L O X d u r i n g t h e t r a n s i e n t
p h a s e s i n s t a r t a n d s h u t d o w n . T h e s e c o n d r e m a r k -
a b l e f r e q u e n c y i s t h a t a b o u t 1 50 0 H z , i n d e p e n d e n t
O s < t < 6 s d t = 2 O O m s
6
o 5 0 0 1 o o o lS O O 2 0 0 0
F r e q u e n c y r H z l
F i g . 1 3 . S t a r t p h a s e a n d m a i n s t a g e ( P c = 1 0 9 b a r , O / F = 6 . 6 ) f r e q u e n c y a n a l y s i s .
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L l I I I ' l I l I I l I I l l I T I 4 L I l I I I l I T % ~ ' L r i l I I N I l I l l I , l [
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I T I - , L J I I . I J , , T ' I , ~ I I I I I . r ~ l l l I 5 o
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Fig. 14 . Predic ted heat t ransfer ra te and c oola nt temp era ture as a funct ion o f cham ber axia l pos i t ion .
f r o m t h e t r a n s i e n t c o n d i t i o n s a n d a p p a r e n t l y a
m e c h a n i c a l r e s o n a n t f r e q u e n c y o f t h e L O X d o m e .
T h e l o w f r e q u e n c i e s h a v e b e e n r e d u c e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y
b y t h e al r e a d y m e n t i o n e d m o d i f i c a t io n o f t h e L O X
r e s t r i c t o r o r i f i c e s .
I n t h e H F - r a n g e a b o v e 2 0 00 H z n o s i g ni f ic a n t
f r e q u e n c i e s a r e d e t e c t a b l e .
3.2 .6 Cool ing per form ance .
I n F i g s 1 4 a n d 1 5
t h e c o o l i n g p e r f o r m a n c e o f b o t h a c t iv e l y c o o l e d
c o m p o n e n t s , i .e . C C a n d N E a r e p r e s en t e d . F o r
b o t h c o m p o n e n t s g o o d a g r e e m e n t o f t h e o r e ti c a l a n d
e x p e r i m e n t a l v a l u e s i s f o u n d .
3.2.7. Combustion efficiency.
T h e e x p e r i m e n t a l
c o m b u s t i o n p e r f o r m a n c e v a l u e s a r e p re s e n t e d a s a
f u n c t i o n o f th e p r o p e l l a n t m i x t u r e r a t i o i n F i g . 1 6.
S o m e u n c e r t a i n t i e s m a y h a v e l e d t o t h e s c a t t e r -
i n g o f t h e m e a s u r e m e n t v a l u e s , e .g , L O X f l o w -
m e t e r s w e r e n o t c a l i b r a t e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l m e d i u m
a n d s o m e p r o b l e m s w i t h f r e e zi n g o f th e c h a m b e r
p r e s s u r e t r a n s d u c e r c a p i l l a r i e s o c c u r r e d . H o w e v e r ,
t h e c * e f fi c ie n c y r e q u i r e m e n t o f 9 9 c a n b e
a c h i e v e d .
3.2.8. Sideloads .
D u r i n g s t a r t u p a n d s h u t
d o w n t r a n s i e n t s t h e T C i s e x p o s e d t o s e v e r e l a t e r a l
v i b r a t io n s c a u s e d b y n o n a t t a c h m e n t a n d s e p a r a t i o n
o f t h e h o t g a s e s a t t h e n o z z l e w a l l . I n s e v e r a l h o t t e s t s
t h e d e s i g n l o a d a s s u m p t i o n s f o r t h e s e s i d e l o a d s o f
5 0 k N a c t i n g a t t h e n o z z l e e n d h a v e b e e n v e r i f ie d b y
m e a s u r e m e n t o f t he r e a c t i o n f o r ce s i n a c tu a t o r s t r ud s
s u p p o r t i n g t h e h o r i z o n t a l l y a r r a n g e d T C i n t h e t e s t
be nc h ( F i g . 17 ) .
F i g u r e 1 8 s h o w s t h e r e a c t i o n f o r c e s m e a s u r e d
d u r i n g a t y p i c a l t e s t r u n , i n d i c a t i n g h i g h p e a k l o a d s
i n t h e s t a r t u p , t h e r e l a t i v e ly l o w r e a c t i o n o n t h e
I o o 0 -
0 0 0 -
c o 0
7 0 0 1
~ e o o .
[ 4 0 0 ,
2 0 0 -
1 0 0 -
0 -
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h am be r L e n g t h
[ e m l
- g u
8 0
- 7 0
0 0
. S O
4 0
. o n
1 5 0
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Fig. 15 . Predic ted and expe r imenta l coolan t tempera ture as a funct ion of the NE axia l pos i t ion .
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1,00
0 , 9 9 ,
1 0 2
1.01
0 , 97 ,
4 , 5
Vulcain thrust chamber
5 , 0 5 , 5 6 , 0 6 . 5 7 , 0
o m b u s t i o n
ix ture Ratio
Fig. 16. Comb ustion efficiency at nom inal cha mb er pressure.
7 5
281
c o m b u s t i o n n o i se d u r i n g m a i n s t ag e a n d a g a i n h i g h e r
l o a d s d u r i n g s t o p t r a n s i e n t s .
3 2 9 S ta tus o f t e s t ing on eng ine l e ve l The f i r s t
e n g i n e w a s i n t e g r a t e d i n t o S E P s t e s t f a c i li t y P F 5 0
i n V e r n o n , F r a n c e i n A p r i l 1 99 0. A f t e r c o o l d o w n
i n v e s t i g a t i o n s t h e f i r st i g n i t i o n t e s t t o o k p l a c e i n J u l y
1990 . Un t i l t he end o f 1990 the eng ine i s s chedu led to
b e h o t f i r e d a t n o m i n a l c o n d i t i o n s u p t o 5 0 s r u n
d u r a t i o n .
In pa ra l l e l t o th i s t e s t f a c i l i t y , a s econd one in
L a m p o l d s h a u s e n , G e r m a n y w i l l b e o p e r a t i o n a l in
O c t o b e r 1 9 9 0 f o r e n g i n e t e s t s .
3 3 TC deve lopm en t ou t look
A s s t a t e d b e f o r e , e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s u l t s f o r T C
d e v e l o p m e n t w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e
b o t h f r o m m o t o r a n d T C t e st in g . T h e r e s u lt s g a i n e d
m i g h t i n f l u e n c e t h e d e s i g n o f t h e f i n a l T C v e r s i o n
P I I I .
O n m o t o r l ev e l c o n f i r m a t i o n o f T C b e h a v i o u r
u n d e r e x t r e m e l o a d s , e . g . g i m b a l l o a d s , t u r b o p u m p
a n d o t h e r c o m p o n e n t s a c t i n g o n t h e T C , a n d t h e fi n al
p r o o f o f t h e c a l c u l a t e d l o w c y c l e fa t i g u e l i f e w i l l b e
g a i n e d .
O n T C l ev e l t h e f o ll o w i n g m a j o r d e v e l o p m e n t
o b j e c ti v e s a r e p l a n n e d t o b e d e m o n s t r a t e d .
• Cycle l i fe
D e m o n s t r a t i o n o f 2 0 s h o r t d u r a t i o n r u n s ( ~ 1 5 s )
n o m i n a l a n d o f f - n o m i n a l c o n d i t i o n s.
• I g n i t i o n a n d s t a r t
Fig. 17. TC on test bench during hot test.
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282 E. KIRNER
e t a l
1 2 0
1 1 0 :
1 0 0
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8
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i - J _ I I H K i
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~ 1 0
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. . r - ~ - i i i ~ i i J t i , , i i , , i , i
- 5 0 5 I 0 1 5 ~
ime
[ s l
2 5
Fig. 18. Reaction force on side loads.
F u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f i g n i t i o n b y v a r y i n g t h e
g o v e r n i n g p a r a m e t e r s a n d d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f r e l i a b le
i g n i t i o n i n t h e e n t i r e o p e r a t i o n a l r a n g e .
• C o m b u s t i o n s t a b i l i t y
P r o o f o f H F - c o m b u s t i o n s t a b il i ty b y d i s t u r b a n c e
o f t h e c o m b u s t i o n p r o c e s s v i a p y r o t e c h n i c a l s h o c k
g e n e r a t o r s a n d b y o p e r a t i o n o f t h e T C u n d e r
i n s t a b il i t y p r o v o k i n g c o n d i t io n s .
• P e r f o r m a n c e d e m o n s t r a t i o n
In num erou s t e s t s the s pec i fi c imp u l s e / so ) und e r
s e a - le v e l c o n d i t i o n s w i l l b e i n v e s t i g a t e d b a s e d o n
t h r u s t a n d m a s s f l ow m e a s u r e m e n t . T h e s t a n d a r d
d e v i a t i o n o f I sp f r o m t e s t t o t e s t a n d f r o m h a r d w a r e
t o h a r d w a r e w i l l b e d e t e r m i n e d .
• L i m i t s
D e m o n s t r a t i o n o f d e s ig n m a r g i n s b y t e s t in g t h e
T C b e y o n d t h e e x t r e m e e n v e l o p e , b o t h r e l a t i v e t o
c h a m b e r p r e s su r e a n d p r o p e l l a n t m i x t u r e r a t io .
• F a i l u r e t e s t i n g
A n a l y s i s o f T C b e h a v i o u r u n d e r s p e c if i c f a i l u re s ,
e . g. s e a l i n g f a i l u r e s b e t w e e n i n j e c t o r a n d c o m b u s t i o n
c h a m b e r w h i c h r e s u l t s i n i n t e r n a l l e a k s a n d m i g h t
i n f lu e n c e t h e p r o p e r f u n c t i o n a n d p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e
T C .
• D e s i g n m o d i f i c a t i o n s
S e v e r a l d e s ig n m o d i f i c a t i o n s , b a s i c a l l y t o a l l o w
f o r f a b r i c a t i o n c o s t r e d u c t i o n t o m e e t r e q u i r e m e n t s
g a i n e d b y t e s t r e s u l t s , w i l l b e i n v e s t i g a t e d a n d
i m p l e m e n t e d i n t h e h a r d w a r e d e s i g n i f a p p l i c a b l e .
F o l l o w i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t p h a s e t h e T C w i ll be
s u b m i t t e d t o a q u a l i f i c a ti o n . A l l s p ec i f ie d p a r a m e t e r s
w i l l b e d e m o n s t r a t e d a n d p r o v e n b y s t u d i e s , c o l d t e s t s
o r h o t r u n s . S p e c i fi c e f f o r t w i l l b e g i v e n t o R A M S
a s p e c t s in o r d e r t o f u lf i ll t h e s t r o n g r e q u i r e m e n t s o f
t h e V u l c a i n m o t o r w h i c h h a s t o b e o p e r a t i o n a l f o r
ma nn ed f l igh t s in 1998 .
4 . C O N C L U S I O N S
T h e t h r u s t c h a m b e r d e v e l o p m e n t s t a t u s i s i n
c o n f o r m a n c e w i t h t h e p l a n n i n g s c h e d u le . A l l b a s i c
r e q u i r e m e n t s , w h i c h w e r e s u b j e c t t o t h e p a s s e d d e v e l -
o p m e n t t e s t s , w e r e m e t . E x c e p t t h e i m p r o v e m e n t o f
n o z z l e e x t e n s i o n s t i f f e n i n g n o m a j o r p r o b l e m s w e r e
e n c o u n t e r e d .
F u t u r e t h r u s t c h a m b e r t e st i n g w i ll b e p e r f o r m e d o n
t w o d i f f e r e n t l e v el s: o n c o m p o n e n t l e v e l a t M B B a n d
i n t e g r a te d in t h e m o t o r a t S E P a n d D L R .
M a i n t e s t i n g ef f o r ts o n c o m p o n e n t l e v el a r e :
p r o o f o f c y c le li fe , p r o o f o f c o m b u s t i o n s t a b il i ty ,
t h r u s t c h a m b e r l i m i t s t e s t in g , t e s ti n g o f m o d i f i c a t i o n s
f o r f a b r i c a t i o n c o s t r e d u c t i o n a n d f i n a l l y q u a l i f i c a t i o n
te s t ing .
O n m o t o r l e v e l , b a s i c r e s u l t s o n c r e e p l i f e , s t a r t -
a n d s h u t - o f f b e h a v i o u r u n d e r a c t u a l e n g in e l o a d s a r e
expec ted .
T h e t e s ts o n t h r u s t c h a m b e r l e v el a r e s c h e d u l e d t o
b e c o n c l u d e d i n m i d 1 99 3; t h e m o t o r t e s ts w i ll t a k e
p l a c e i n t h e p e r i o d m i d 1 99 0 u n t i l th e e n d o f 1 99 5.