Fabrication of a Composite Tow-Steered Structure for Air-Launch Vehicle Applications

Grenoble, Ray ; Nguyen, Thuan ; McKenney, Martin ; Przekop, Adam ; Juarez, Peter ; Gregory, Elizabeth ; Jegley, Dawn ; Oremont, Leonard

关键词: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING;    COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING;    COMPOSITE MATERIALS;    COMPOSITE STRUCTURES;    CYLINDRICAL TANKS;    FIBER COMPOSITES;    NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTS;    STRUCTURAL DESIGN;    AIR LAUNCHING;    HYPERSONIC FLIGHT;    LIQUID OXYGEN;    PROPELLANT TANKS;    SINGLE STAGE ROCKET VEHICLES;   

RP-ID  :  NF1676L-27451

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来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

Generation Orbit (GO) is developing the GO Launcher-1 (GO-1), a single stage liquid rocket that is launched from a Gulfstream III carrier aircraft platform. The vehicle is designed as the next generation platform for hypersonic flight testing and suborbital microgravity research. To reduce mass and increase payload, GO partnered with NASA Langley Research Center to design, analyze, optimize, and fabricate a tow-steered manufacturing development unit of a cylindrical section of a liquid oxygen tank. The fabrication process of using the ISAAC (Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites) system is described. The structural design challenges and the concept design solutions are also presented to provide the context for the fabrication process. The in-situ nondestructive evaluation supporting the effort is also described.