Development and Testing of an 8m Isotensoid Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD)

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

2015

The goal of this investigation is to understand the sizing and performance of supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerators for Earth-based sounding rocket applications. The recovery system under examination is composed of a supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator and a guided parafoil system to achieve sub-100 m miss distances. Three supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator configurations (tension cone, attached isotensoid, and trailing isotensoid) are examined using the metrics of decelerator mass, aerodynamic performance, and vehicle integration. In terms of aerodynamic performance, the tension cone is the preferred choice for the sizes investigated. The attached isotensoid was shown to be the most mass efficient decelerator, whereas the trailing isotensoid was found to be the more ideal decelerator for vehicle integration. A three-degree-of-freedom trajectory simulation is used in conjunction with Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis to assess the landed accuracy capability of the proposed architectures. In 95% of the cases examined, the drag-modulated inflatable aerodynamic decelerator provides arrivals within the 10 km parafoil capability region, meeting the sub-100 m landed recovery goals. In 76% of the cases examined, the dragmodulated inflatable aerodynamic decelerator arrives within 5 km of this target zone. Nomenclaturenumber m = mass, kg q = dynamic pressure, N∕m 2 S = area, m 2 s = downrange, m T = reference temperature, K t = time, s u = eastward wind velocity, m∕s V = velocity, m∕s v = northward wind velocity, m∕s β = ballistic coefficient equal to m∕C D A, kg∕m 2 δDR = change in downrange, km λ = launch elevation angle, deg Subscripts D = drag deploy = deployment est = estimate f = areal max = maximum min = minimum para = parafoil ref = reference target = target

Section: Decelerator Configurationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decelerator Configurationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Drag-Modulated Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators for Sounding Rocket Payloads

Miller

Steinfeldt

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

2015

“…19,36 -Braided corset is a tie-down device made of flexible material that is held together with lacing. 41 -Pyrotechnic cutters are devices that are capable of cutting cords using an explosive event. 42 -Internal inflation system is a gas generation system located within the vehicle bus.…”

Section: Vehicle Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators for use on Sounding Rocket Payloads

Miller

Steinfeldt

AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference

2014

This paper presents an assessment of a supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator for use on a sounding rocket payload bus structure for a high-altitude sample return mission. Three decelerator configurations, the tension cone, attached isotensoid, and the trailing isotensoid, were examined on the metrics of decelerator mass, aerodynamic performance, and vehicle integration. The attached isotensoid configuration is shown to be the least mass solution. Aerodynamic analysis shows that a drag performance degradation of up to 40% for the attached decelerators results when the attachment point is recessed from the forebody of the bus structure. Vehicle integration mechanisms are identified and examined for each decelerator configuration. Using multiattribute decision making techniques, the trailing isotensoid is identified to be the most advantageous decelerator option for use in this application.

“…After several decades of little acknowledgement, IADs have seen a resurgence in interest from the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) community in recent years 2 . Technology investments in the last decade have significantly advanced three IAD designs: attached isotensoid, tension cone, and stacked toroid 3,4,5 . A recent attached isotensoid design is shown in Figure 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of Plain Woven Fabrics for Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

Hill

55th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference

2014

Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs) are often constructed from complex fabrics. The simplest example being a plain woven fabric. Optimization of IADs relies heavily on a detailed understanding of the IAD materials. A Mesomechanical material model of a plain woven fabric is implemented in a nonlinear finite element analysis code and presented in this work. The model is developed in MATLAB to facilitate exploration and learning. Derivation of the model is initially presented by Ivanov and Tabiei and utilizes the homogenization methodology; commonly used in composites. Geometric nonlinearity is modeled through the reorientation, as well as, locking of the yarns. The example shows the mesomechanical material model is capable of capturing the dual behavior corresponding to that of actual plain woven fabrics. Nomenclature E = Elastic Modulus G = Shear Modulus ρ = Mass Density ν = Poisson's Ratio β = Undulation Angle θ = Braid Angle θ lock