Development of Liquid Rocket Engines with the Support of Ansys optiSLang

As one of the critical parts of a rocket propulsion system, its combustion chamber is exposed to high thermal and mechanical loads. In consequence the inner chamber wall experiences large deformations beside microstructural changes and ageing effects in the ligaments of the cooling channels. The prevailing loading regime leads to a thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) problem for which the central subject is the number of cycles until crack initiation. Beside numerical investigations with an adequate material and damage model of the wall material, it is indispensable to perform hardware tests for chamber verification.

In order to reduce the testing effort on full scale hardware a test procedure was developed which is based on TMF panels that are representing one part of the chamber in design and size. But yet the panel tests lack of representativeness towards the damage behavior as it is seen on full scale hardware.

In order to design a TMF panel that leads to an equal damage accumulation course as in the chamber, a simulative investigation campaign was started. With the help of the OptiSLang software the main panel design parameters that lead to a chamber like damage behavior are identified and optimized.