In assessing the reliability of a space nuclear propulsion system (SNPS) nozzle, uncertainties associated with the following design parameters were considered: geometry, boundary conditions, material behavior, and thermal and pressure loads. A preliminary assessment of the reliability was performed using NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress), a finite-element computer code developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The sensitivity of the nozzle reliability to the uncertainties in the random variables was quantified. With respect to the effective stress, preliminary results showed that the nozzle spatial geometry uncertainties have the most significant effect at low probabilities whereas the inner wall temperature has the most significant effect at higher probabilities.
Probabilistic assessment of space nuclear propulsion system nozzle
ASME International Gas Turbine and Aerospace Congress Exposition ; 1994 ; Cincinnati, OH, United States
1994-06-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1992
|NTIS | 2021
|