Flow rate improvements in additively manufactured flow channels suitable for rocket engine application
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
This contribution describes the investigation of flow channels which are designed to be directly integrated into an aerospike engine by means of additive manufacturing with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). During the experimental testing of a previous aerospike engine in 2019, it was observed that high surface roughness of such additively manufactured integrated channels caused a significant reduction in the mass flow rates of the propellants ethanol and liquid oxygen as well as the coolant due to increased pressure drop. In an extensive study within the CFDmikroSAT project, various factors influencing this surface roughness are, therefore, being investigated, which include the geometry of the channels as well as selected manufacturing parameters of the LPBF process, such as layer thickness and component orientation. To further reduce the roughness after manufacturing, suitable post-processing methods are also being investigated for internal cavities, initially analysing the abrasive flow machining process. Within the paper, the overall investigation approach is presented, such as the overview of the considered specimens, and the initial results of a various studies with selected specimens are discussed. These studies consist of the examination of surface roughness reduction, shape accuracy and flow behaviour of post-processed cooling channel specimens. Finally, a brief overview of the already manufactured aerospike demonstrator is presented.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 715–728 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | CEAS space journal |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 5 |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
Scopus | 85140929546 |
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Keywords
Research priority areas of TU Dresden
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Abrasive flow machining, Additive manufacturing, Aerospace components, Aerospike engine, Flow channels, Laser powder bed fusion