Three domain thermal and mechanical fluid-structrure interaction analysis applied to cooled rocket thrust chambers

Abstract

Regeneratively cooled combustion chamber and nozzle structures are exposed to extreme temperature gradients in space and time. One sided wall heating during the hot run generates thermomechanical loads that induce high heat fluxes on the surface and consequently high stresses inside the thin cooling channel structures. In order to address the strong interaction between the structure and the different flow fields a coupled simulation considering the thermal and mechanical interactions is desirable. The present study covers both physical couplings in a partitioned approach applied to the steady state case of a subscale thrust chamber. Furthermore, this study will present a novel full parametric 3D modelling approach for cooled rocket thrust chambers, which is specifically designed to reduce computational expense in FSI analyses by applying non conforming symmetry conditions across coupling interfaces. The parametrization ranges from thrust chamber contour design through CAD modelling up to grid generation of the individual domains. Further extension of the parametric approach allows the analysis of thermal protection systems applied inside the combustion chamber.