Life Prediction Analysis of a Subscale Rocket Engine Combustor using a Fluid-Thermal-Structural Model

Abstract

The focus of this thesis was on performing a non-linear transient fluid-thermal-structural analysis of the cooling jacket for a scale model rocket engine thrust chamber. The model was for a water cooled annular plug nozzle thruster. The objective of this work was to predict the number of firing cycles the chamber could undergo without failure. The analysis consisted of multiple temperature and pressure firing cycles representing startup, shutdown and steady state operation of the engine. Two separate numerical codes combining fluid, thermal and structural analyses were used to obtain the solution. Non-linear strains were observed after 20 firing cycles and failure was predicted to occur after 255 cycles.