Hazards of Altitude Testing at AEDC
Abstract
The detonability (explosion) hazards associated with testing large solid rocket motors in low pressure altitude chambers are largely unknown. Because of the potential damage to these unique facilities, quantification of the hazards involved in such testing is needed. TRW performed an extensive analytical study to determine the probabilities of generating various explosive yields inside the J-4 vertical test cell at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) assuming that a failure occurred during an altitude test of a large solid propellant rocket motor (approximately 55,000 lbs of Class 1.3 propellant) . Three failure modes of significance were identified. Two involved axial ejection of the propellant grain downward toward the bottom of the test cell while the third involved radial ejection of the grain toward the test cell wall due to the internal gas pressure. This paper describes the approach used to evaluate the key elements of the study: (a) identification of failure modes and the associated probability chain, (b) determination of the specific rocket motor initial (failure) conditions and parameters, (c) utilization of detonation theory and test results to develop a required impact velocity for detonation, correlation, (d) calculation of the fragment weight distribution and impact velocities and (e) development of statistical methods to determine the probability for each failure mode.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA511703
Entities
People
- Paul K. Salzman