Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Robert Frederick
Committee Member
Judith Schneider
Subject(s)
Liquid propellant rockets--Design and construction, Additive manufacturing
Abstract
Liquid rocket engines (LRE) are among the most expensive components of any launch vehicle. While additive manufacturing (AM) shows promise in alleviating some of the costs of LREs, the use of AM could introduce new failure modes which would increase time spent in Test-Fail-Fix. This thesis demonstrates a methodology for understanding the trade-offs of using additive manufacturing for LREs to inform decision making. A decision matrix was used to choose the ideal AM process, and a quantitative model was applied to capture one of the trade-offs of using AM, that being increased surface roughness on LRE performance. A candidate component was selected for this methodology, and an ideal AM process was chosen. The results showed there was minimal loss in performance due to increased surface roughness. Demonstrating this methodology showed how a model-based approach to systems engineering can help engineers make informed decisions before going to the test stand.
Recommended Citation
Buettner, Joshua, "Evaluating the trade-offs of using additive manufacturing for liquid rocket engines" (2023). Theses. 605.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/605