Life Analysis of Reusable Liquid Rocket Engine Thrust Chamber

Abstract

The thrust chamber’s inner wall suffers high temperature and pressure differences from the coolant channel, which limits the life of the rocket engine. Life prediction of the thrust chamber really plays an important role in reusable launch vehicle propulsion systems. The Porowski beam model is widely used in the life prediction of reusable liquid rocket engine thrust chambers, which calculates the life caused by fatigue, creep, and thinning after each firing cycle. In order to analyze the life of the thrust chamber, a LOX/Kerosene rocket engine is investigated in this paper. The life analysis consists of pressure and temperature differences and structural parameters. Two kinds of inner wall materials were chosen for comparison in this research: OFHC copper and Narloy-Z alloy. The results are presented to offer a reference for the design and manufacture of reusable rocket engine thrust chambers in the future.