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Non-Asbestos Insulation Testing Using a Plasma TorchInsulation obsolescence issues are a major concern for the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). As old sources of raw materials disappear, new sources must be found and qualified. No simple, inexpensive test presently exists for predicting the erosion performance of a candidate insulation in the full-scale motor, Large motor tests cost million of dollars and therefore can only be used on a few very select candidates. There is a need for a simple, low cost method of screening insulation performance that can simulate some of the different erosion environments found in the RSRM. This paper describes a series of erosion tests on two different non-asbestos insulation formulations, a KEVLAR(registered) fiber-filled and a carbon fiber-filled insulation containing Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber as the binder. The test instrument was a plasma torch device. The two main variables investigated were heat flux and alumina particle impingement concentration. Statistical analysis revealed that the two different formulations had very different responses to the main variable. The results of this work indicate that there may be fundamental differences in how these insulation formulations perform in the motor operating environment. The plasma torch appears to offer a low-cost means of obtaining a fundamental understanding of insulation response to critical factors in a series of statistically designed experiments.
Document ID
20000074968
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Morgan, R. E. (Thiokol Propulsion Brigham City, UT United States)
Prince, A. S. (Thiokol Propulsion Brigham City, UT United States)
Selvidge, S. A. (Thiokol Propulsion Brigham City, UT United States)
Phelps, J. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Martin, C. L. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Lawrence, T. W. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Nonmetallic Materials
Report/Patent Number
AIAA Paper 2000-3317
Meeting Information
Meeting: Joint Propulsion
Location: Huntsville, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: July 17, 2000
End Date: July 19, 2000
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-38100
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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