UNSTEADY THREE-DIMENSIONAL SUBSONIC FLOW IN A SOLID PROPELLANT ROCKET MOTOR INCLUDING THE EFFECT OF MOTOR ROTATION
Abstract
A mathematical analysis and a computer program based upon that analysis are presented for calculating the effects of high rotation rates on the subsonic flow field in a solid propellant rocket motor. The geometry of the propellant grain and propulsive nozzle is assumed to be axisymmetric. The flow field is three-dimensional due to the effects of the motor rotation. The governing equations for unsteady three-dimensional flow are derived in a noninertial reference frame attached to the missile for the most general case where the missile has both angular velocity and acceleration, as well as linear acceleration all with with respect to Earth. Inviscid flow of a thermally and calorically perfect gas is considered. The solid propellant burning rate law is the well-known pressure-exponent empirical correlation including erosive burning. The resulting equations are integrated numerically using the variation of the method of characteristics due to Kentzer. The numerical integration procedure and a production type computer program for implementing the procedure are presented. Although the analysis is based on unsteady flow, steady-state solutions can be achieved as the asymptotic solution for large time of the equivalent unsteady problem with the same boundary conditions. Three examples are presented to illustrate the application of the method and the type of results that can be obtained.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Aerospace materials|Energy
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.