Design Concept Investigation to Minimize Costs of a Hypervelocity Track

Abstract

Typical sections of a prototype hypervelocity track installed in a thin-wall tube for an ablation/erosion chamber was designed, fabricated, and tested as a part of an overall cost reduction study for a Proposed Reentry Vehicle Ground Test Facility. An estimated cost savings of 40 to 50 percent may be realized utilizing test results obtained in the present investigation. The original cost estimate was based on conventional and proved concepts for maintaining rail position and straightness which depends on heavy wall tubes with rails fully supported over their full length. The reduced cost concept utilizes a thin-wall vessel with the rails simply supported near the connecting flanges only. Rail alignment and displacement measurements were obtained under varying conditions that would occur in actual operation of such a facility.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADA039017

Entities

People

  • George W. Hyslip

Organizations

  • Arnold Engineering Development Complex

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ablation
  • Accuracy
  • Air Force
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Cost Estimates
  • Cost Reductions
  • Costs
  • Engineering
  • Fabrication
  • Measurement
  • Reentry Vehicles
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Test Equipment
  • Test Facilities
  • Thin Walls
  • Walls

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Hypersonics
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flight
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flow