NASA and the satellite launch company Virgin Orbit have produced a usable3D printingCombustion chamber.The component is made of copper and aims to promote the commercial space sector3D printingAnd reduce the cost of future NASA missions.
Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 and has been working with NASA combustion and additive manufacturing experts for the past two years at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama and other centers in Cleveland and California.
As part of the continuous development process, the latest3D printingThe combustion chamber successfully completed the test shot of the MSFC, which can provide up to 2,000 pounds of thrust.
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Part of the combustion chamber made of GRCo-84. Photos from NASA
The combustion chamber is a key component of all rocket engines. Here the propellant mixes and ignites, generating extremely high temperatures of up to 5,000°F (2760°C).
This requires complex internal cooling channels filled with gas cooled to below 100°F (38°C) above absolute zero. The complex cooling process makes the combustion chamber one of the most difficult engine components to develop while maintaining low cost and lead time.
According to Paul Gradl, a senior NASA engineer and Virgin Orbit project leader, “Traditionally, it takes months to manufacture, test, and deliver a traditional combustion chamber. We can greatly reduce this time.”
“Additive manufacturing is ready to add and improve traditional processes. It provides new design and performance opportunities, and provides a highly durable hardware-through this partnership, we further enhance this capability.”
This project increased the complexity of the design, but also faced3D printingThe challenge of multi-metal copper components. Copper is of particular interest to the aerospace industry due to its high thermal conductivity, excellent creep (deformation) properties, high temperature strength, and economy. However, due to its natural luster, copper has proven to be a difficult material for additive manufacturing because it reflects the heat applied by the laser beam.
Nevertheless, some aerospace companies have successfully used copper-based alloys to produce parts. Aerojet Rocketdyne, a private space exploration company, showed off its copper-based SLM RL-10 rocket thrust chamber in 2017. Aerospace startup Launcher successfully tested EOS in 2018 3D printingCopper rocket engine. NASA also has some a priori success with this material,3D printingThe first full-size copper rocket engine in 2015.
In order to create the multi-metal combustion chamber, Virgin Orbit engineers used the proven NASA additive manufacturing copper alloy GRCop-84, which was developed in 2014 and used to arrange the inside of the chamber. Then it was printed with Virgin Orbit’s hybrid additive/subtractive machine, which applied a second bimetal superalloy jacket, and then processed the parts to the correct size.
Earlier this year, NASA researchers announced the development of GRCop-42, the ultimate replacement for GRCop-84. The high-strength, high-conductivity copper-based alloy was created by a team from NASA MSFC and NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Ohio. Hope that GRCop-42 has higher thermal conductivity and matches the strength of GRCop-84.
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The advantage of developing multi-metal parts is that you can take advantage of the unique properties of each metal (such as strength or thermal conductivity) to create a stronger, higher-performance final product.
Virgin Orbit Advanced Manufacturing Manager Kevin Zagorski said when talking about the addition of different metals: “The combination of a variety of optimized materials and additive manufacturing3D printingSignificant progress has been made in the production of rocket engine combustion chambers. “
“The information obtained from our cooperation with NASA will be the key to the application of these technologies,” he added.
The combustor was tested in late 2018/early 2019 with high-pressure liquid oxygen/kerosene propellant, which produced more than 2,000 pounds of thrust in a series of 60-second test fires.
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