The solid-rocket plumes from the abort motor of the multipurpose crew vehicle were simulated using hot, high-pressure, helium gas to determine pressure fluctuations on the vehicle surface in the event of an abort. About 80 different abort situations over a Mach number range of 0.3 to 1.2, and vehicle attitudes of ± 14 deg , were simulated using a 6% scaled model inside the NASA Ames Transonic Wind Tunnel. The test showed very high level of surface pressure fluctuations caused by the hydrodynamic near-field of the plume shear layer. The plumes grew in size with increasing flight Mach number, which was associated with a lowering of the ambient pressure. This caused an increase of plume impingement on the vehicle. Interestingly, the trend was a decrease in the level of pressure fluctuations with increasing impingement. The wind-tunnel data were compared against flight data from the Pad Abort 1 flight test. Despite various differences between the transient-flight situation and the steady-state wind-tunnel simulations, the hot-helium data were found to replicate Pad Abort 1 fairly reasonably. The data gathered from this one-of-a-kind wind-tunnel test fills a gap in the manned-space programs, and will be used to establish the acoustic environment for vibro-acoustic qualification of the multipurpose crew vehicle.


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    Title :

    Heated Helium to Simulate Surface Pressure Fluctuations Created by Rocket Motor Plumes


    Contributors:
    Panda, J. (author) / Burnside, N. J. (author) / Fong, R. K. (author) / Ross, J. C. (author) / James, G. H. (author) / Fogt, V. A. (author)

    Published in:

    AIAA Journal ; 51 , 2 ; 302-314


    Publication date :

    2013-01-04


    Size :

    13 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English






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