Assembly joints of modern solid-rocket motor cases are usually sealed with conventional O-ring seals. The 5500 F combustion gases produced by rocket motors are kept a safe distance away from the seals by thick layers of insulation and by special compounds that fill assembly split-lines in the insulation. On limited occasions, NASA has observed charring of the primary O-rings of the space shuttle solid-rocket nozzle-assembly joints due to parasitic leakage paths opening up in the gap-fill compounds during rocket operation. Thus, solid-rocket motor manufacturer Thiokol approached the NASA Lewis Research Center about the possibility of applying Lewis braided-fiber preform seal as a thermal barrier to protect the O-ring seals. This thermal barrier would be placed upstream of the primary O-rings in the nozzle-to-case joints to prevent hot gases from impinging on the O-ring seals (see the following illustration). The illustration also shows joints 1 through 5, which are potential sites where the thermal barrier could be used.


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    Titel :

    NASA Lewis Thermal Barrier Feasibility Investigated for Use in Space Shuttle Solid-Rocket Motor Nozzle-to-Case Joints


    Beteiligte:


    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1999-04-01


    Medientyp :

    Sonstige


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch





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