Controlling the rocket engine performance variability via probabilistic parameter analysis

Abstract

The three Space Shuttle main engines that are used to boost the Space Shuttle orbiter into space generate as much equivalent horsepower as twenty-three Hoover Dams. Due to the extreme pressures and temperatures in the combustion chambers and turbomachinery passages, a rocket engine design challenges the current technology limits of material strength and heat resistance. Meanwhile, in the hostile operational environment, the instruments experience severe impacts which limit their accuracy. An approach to robust design is proposed, aimed at identifying the optimal operating point and the key parameters.<>