Solid Rockets Technical Committee

Education SubcommitteeReport

David Poe & Michel BERDOYES

Subcommittee Chairman & Vice Chairman

January 2015

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 2

Solid Rockets Textbook• Background:

– Originally proposed by Bob Geisler years ago.– Leverage the international expertise of the SRTC membership and the

information and organization of the Advanced Solid Rockets UAH course and subsequent AIAA short course to produce a university level textbook.

– Project lacked a champion with the desire, competency, and availability required.

– Dr. David Greatrix of Ryerson University volunteered to champion the project and spend the time and energy necessary to see it completed.

• Overview:– A textbook on Solid Rocket Motors has been proposed by the AIAA SRTC and

accepted by AIAA for the Education Series.

– AIAA editor: David Arthur, AIAA Publications

– SRTC general editor: Dr. David Greatrix, Ryerson University (Toronto Canada)

– In general, chapter authors are members of the SRTC and have been instructors for the Advanced Solid Rockets short course.

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 3

Solid Rockets TextbookProposed Chapters1. Solid-Propellant Rocket Motors: An Introduction

– Authors: Winfred A. Foster, Jr., Auburn University & Thomas L. Moore, ATK

2. Solid Rocket Motor Design– Authors: Agostino Neri, ESA (ESRIN) & Claudio Milana, ELV

3. Fundamental Internal Ballistic Considerations & Modeling– Author: Samuel S. Schlueter, Aerojet Rocketdyne

4. Propellant Fundamentals– Author: Jamie B. Neidert, U.S. Army AMRDEC

5. Advanced Internal Ballistics– Authors: Ferruccio Serraglia, ESA (ESRIN) & Bernardo Favini, University of Rome & Enrico

Cavallini, University of Rome

6. Propellant Grain Design– Authors: Brian A. McDonald, U.S. Army AMRDEC & Jeremy R. Rice, U.S. Army AMRDEC

7. Motor Case Design, Fabrication, Analysis and Testing– Authors: Karl W. Naumann, MBDA (Bayern-Chemie) & Hugh M. Reynolds, consultant

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 4

Solid Rockets TextbookProposed Chapters8. Thermal Protection and Internal Insulation Materials

– Author: Joseph H. Koo, University of Texas in Austin

9. Nozzle Design– Authors: Michel Berdoyes, Herakles & Russell A. Ellis, consultant

10. Igniter Design– Author: Robert E. Black III, Aerojet Rocketdyne

11. Combustion Instability– Authors: James A. Spurling, Naval Air Warfare Center & Frederick S. Blomshield, consultant

12. Manufacturing of Motor Components– Authors: David K. McGrath, ATK & Anna di Cosmo, Avio

13. Testing and Performance Verification– Author: Karl W. Naumann, MBDA (Bayern-Chemie)

14. System Engineering and Trades – Large SRM Space Launch Booster Applications– Author: Eduardo D. Casillas, Aerojet Rocketdyne

15. Advanced Concepts– Authors: Helmut K. Ciezki, DLR (German Aerospace Center) & Karl W. Naumann, MBDA

(Bayern-Chemie)

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 5

Solid Rockets Textbook• Status:

– Book outline has been completed.– Authors for each chapter have been identified and confirmed.– Chapter rough drafts were due at the JPC’14 meeting.– Dr. Greatrix and authors met for discussion during the 2014 JPC.– Rough drafts for each chapter were due by the end of September 2014 but only a few of

them have been sent to Dr Greatrix by the end of the year– During the SciTech’15 conference, SRTC members discussed the chapter redaction

progress.• Babara Leary proposed to open a specific SharePoint site folder to the authors and to Dr

Greatrix. This initiative can ease the content harmonization of the chapters which is a very important and time consuming task to be done (Who will be in charge of it ?)

• US ITAR and other national Export Control regulations must be addressed by each author and the FTB coordinator as it was done for the Short Courses contents.

• Good discussion of expectations, progress, and challenges.

• Schedule:– Target completion date is late 2015.

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 6

Solid Rocket Short Course

• Overview:

– The course examined fundamental and advanced concepts related to solid rockets. Theoretical and practical aspects of the field were covered.

– Topics include: system design, component design, propellant, manufacturing, processes, testing, and failure analysis.

– Designed for engineers and scientists in the propulsion industry who desire a greater understanding of solid rockets.

• History/Schedule:– Course was given at the 2008 and 2010

and 2012 JPCs – 1 full day and one half day after the JPC.

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 7

Solid Rocket Short Course

• Instructors: International collection of

solid rocket experts from private industry, government labs, and academia. Many were involved in the UAH course.

• Students: A total 70+ students have taken the course.

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee 8

Short Course - Future• Decision was made to postpone the 2014 offering.• Reasons for postponement:

• 1) Negative Trend: • Year-to-year course attendance was decreasing, more time between

installments may help.• 2) Current Budgets:

• U.S. and international industry experiencing budget limitations that affect AIAA support. This will limit ability to attend courses for both instructors and students.

• 3) Textbook Link:• Avoid work overload: Many short course instructors are writing

chapters.  Postponing the course will allow them to focus on just one AIAA task.

• Update material: Leverage the text book effort to make needed changes and updates to the course material before the next offering.

• Text book as resource: Would be great to link the short course with introduction of text book as further study material for the students.

• Future: 2015 decision : to be done asap ? • Idea: use interactive online format, i.e. WebEx, to lower cost.

9

Design Competition• The AIAA Student Activities Committee (SAC) provides guidelines and

logistical structures for the technical committees to run university design competitions.

– TC Responsibility: identify point of contact, select topic, and provide design parameters.

– Scope: Semester long paper design. Topic should address the design of a system and incorporate both technical and economic parameters.

– Student Level: both graduate and undergraduate.– Award: AIAA pays travel expenses for winning team to come to a conference to

present their design. TCs are asked to provide session space for presentation.

• Topic/objective idea – develop solid rocket lift system able to put a micro satellite into any low earth orbit within 24 hours.

– Consider: carefully defined objectives and constraints, regulations, economies of scale, standards, safety.

• Charle Rousseau and James Spurling volunteered to champion this effort and be the points of contact.

– Progress was made on the concept but it never really got off the ground.

• Next Steps: ?

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee

10

Professional Development

• 10-15 minute technical talks at SRTC main meetings.– Enhance “technical” aspect of technical committee.– Several topics have been presented at ASM and JPC meetings since

2010.– Accepting volunteers for future talks at either the JPC or ASM.

• Lecture Series Idea– New solid propulsion challenges: Energy Management / Throttlablity

• Solid Propulsion Promotion initiatives inventory– SRTC volunteer members to prepare a 15 to 20 PowerPoint report to present a

summary of national initiatives implemented by academy, agency and industry to promote the Solid Propulsion technologies.

– Presentation of the reports during a subcommittee or a TC for discussion

Solid Rockets Technical Committee (SRTC) Education Subcommittee

NEW !