Prediction of the ablation of thermal insulation in segmented solid rocket motors
Abstract
A method for calculating the ablation of materials subjected to a flux of convective origin is presented. It is based on coupling the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations with a Couette approximation in the vicinity of the material to determine the heat flux. It is assumed that the ablation rate depends on the heat flux. This method was used to estimate the ablation of the internal thermal insulation in the S2/S3 intersegment of the Ariane-5 solid rocket motor under steady-state conditions. The results indicate that the degassing of the thermal insulation has an appreciable effect on the ablation rate.
- Publication:
-
Operation of Segmented Solid Rocket Motors for Space Launchers
- Pub Date:
- 1993
- Bibcode:
- 1993ossr.proc...25F
- Keywords:
-
- Ablation;
- Ablative Materials;
- Multistage Rocket Vehicles;
- Solid Propellant Rocket Engines;
- Thermal Insulation;
- Ariane Launch Vehicle;
- Convective Flow;
- Couette Flow;
- Finite Volume Method;
- Navier-Stokes Equation;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer