{"id":769933,"date":"2023-10-19T11:54:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T15:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=769933"},"modified":"2023-10-19T11:54:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T15:54:50","slug":"nasas-innovative-rocket-nozzle-paves-way-for-deep-space-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=769933","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Innovative Rocket Nozzle Paves Way for Deep Space Missions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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4 Min Read<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA\u2019s Innovative Rocket Nozzle Paves Way for Deep Space Missions\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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The RAMFIRE nozzle performs a hot fire test at Marshall\u2019s East test area stand 115. The nozzle, made of the novel aluminum alloy 6061-RAM2, experiences huge temperature gradients. As hot gasses approach 6000 degrees Fahrenheit and undergo combustion, icicles are forming on the outside of the engine nozzle. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

By Ray Osorio<\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA recently built and tested an additively-manufactured \u2013 or 3D printed \u2013 rocket engine nozzle made of aluminum, making it lighter than conventional nozzles and setting the course for deep space flights that can carry more payloads.<\/p>\n

Under the agency\u2019s Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity<\/a>, engineers from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, partnered with Elementum 3D, in Erie, Colorado, to create a weldable type of aluminum that is heat resistant enough for use on rocket engines. Compared to other metals, aluminum is lower density and allows for high-strength, lightweight components.<\/p>\n

However, due to its low tolerance to extreme heat and its tendency to crack during welding, aluminum is not typically used for additive manufacturing of rocket engine parts \u2013 until now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meet NASA\u2019s latest development under the Reactive Additive Manufacturing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or RAMFIRE, project. Funded under NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/a> (STMD), RAMFIRE focuses on advancing lightweight, additively manufactured aluminum rocket nozzles. The nozzles are designed with small internal channels that keep the nozzle cool enough to prevent melting.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/figure>
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At the RPM Innovation (RPMI) facility in Rapid City, South Dakota, manufacturing for a large-scale aerospike demonstration nozzle with integral channels is underway. The laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED) process creates a melt pool using a laser and blows powder into the melt pool to deposit material layer by layer. NASA engineers will use the nozzle as a proof of concept to inform future component designs. <\/div>\n
RPM Innovation<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

With conventional manufacturing methods, a nozzle may require as many as thousand individually joined parts. The RAMFIRE nozzle is built as a single piece, requiring far fewer bonds and significantly reduced manufacturing time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NASA and Elementum 3D first developed the novel aluminum variant known as A6061-RAM2 to build the nozzle and modify the powder used with laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED) technology. Another commercial partner, RPM Innovations (RPMI) in Rapid City, South Dakota, used the newly invented aluminum and specialized powder to build the RAMFIRE nozzles using their LP-DED process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndustry partnerships with specialty manufacturing vendors aid in advancing the supply base and help make additive manufacturing more accessible for NASA missions and the broader commercial and aerospace industry,\u201d Paul Gradl, RAMFIRE principal investigator at NASA Marshall, said.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve reduced the steps involved in the manufacturing process, allowing us to make large-scale engine components as a single build in a matter of days.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\"Paul<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Paul Gradl<\/p>\n

RAMFIRE Principal Investigator<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars<\/a> objectives require the capability to send more cargo to deep space destinations. The novel alloy could play an instrumental role in this by enabling the manufacturing of lightweight rocket components capable of withstanding high structural loads.<\/p>\n

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Seen here at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and developed with the same 6061-RAM2 aluminum material used under the RAMFIRE project, is a vacuum jacket manufacturing demonstrator tank. The component, made for cryogenic fluid application, is designed with a series of integral cooling channels that have a wall thickness of about 0.06 inches. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMass is critical for NASA\u2019s future deep space missions,\u201d said John Vickers, principal technologist for STMD advanced manufacturing. \u201cProjects like this mature additive manufacturing along with advanced materials, and will help evolve new propulsion systems, in-space manufacturing, and infrastructure needed for NASA\u2019s ambitious missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer at Marshall\u2019s East Test Area, two RAMFIRE nozzles completed multiple hot-fire tests using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, as well as liquid oxygen and liquid methane fuel configurations. With pressure chambers in excess of 825 pounds per square inch (psi) \u2013 more than anticipated testing pressures \u2013 the nozzles successfully accumulated 22 starts and 579 seconds, or nearly 10 minutes, of run time. This event demonstrates the nozzles can operate in the most demanding deep-space environments.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/figure>
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NASA Engineers, Tessa Fedotowsky and Ben Williams, from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, inspect the RAMFIRE nozzle following successful hot-fire testing. <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis test series marks a significant milestone for the nozzle,\u201d Gradl said. \u201cAfter putting the nozzle through the paces of a demanding hot-fire test series, we\u2019ve demonstrated the nozzle can survive the thermal, structural, and pressure loads for a lunar lander scale engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to successfully building and testing the rocket engine nozzles, the RAMFIRE project has used the RAMFIRE aluminum material and additive manufacturing process to construct other advanced large components for demonstration purposes. These include a 36-inch diameter aerospike nozzle with complex integral coolant channels and a vacuum-jacketed tank for cryogenic fluid applications.<\/p>\n

NASA and industry partners are working to share the data and process with commercial stakeholders and academia. Various aerospace companies are evaluating the novel alloy and the LP-DED additive manufacturing process and looking for ways it can be used to make components for satellites and other applications.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tLearn More about NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center<\/span><\/p>\n

\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Ramon J. Osorio<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

256-544-0034<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ramon.j.osorio@nasa.gov<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Beth Ridgeway<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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