Thermo-Mechanical Model of an Axisymmetric Rocket Combustion Chamber Protection Using Ablative Materials

The integrity analysis of a combustion chamber that uses Ablative Thermal Protection Systems (ATPSs) is a process that requires the analysis of the thermal and mechanical behavior of the materials involved and their interaction. A 1D thermal model for multilayered combustion chambers of hybrid rocket engines and solid rocket motors is developed, taking into consideration the thermal behavior of charring ATPSs during phase change and the capability of implementing an ablation process. A stress model is also implemented to assess the structural integrity of the combustion chamber that undergoes pressure and thermal loads. A numerical finite-difference model is used to implement analytical models and simulate the behavior of the materials. Bibliographic data and finite element analysis tools are used to evaluate and verify the models developed. Lastly, six different materials are used as a case study, and a parametric optimization is applied to obtain the minimum-mass designs using the materials selected.