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Advanced Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) for a Robust, Longlife and Safe Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME)In 1984, the Vacuum Plasma Spray Lab was built at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center for applying durable, protective coatings to turbine blades for the space shuttle main engine (SSME) high pressure fuel turbopump. Existing turbine blades were cracking and breaking off after five hot fire tests while VPS coated turbine blades showed no wear or cracking after 40 hot fire tests. Following that, a major manufacturing problem of copper coatings peeling off the SSME Titanium Main Fuel Valve Housing was corrected with a tenacious VPS copper coating. A patented VPS process utilizing Functional Gradient Material (FGM) application was developed to build ceramic lined metallic cartridges for space furnace experiments, safely containing gallium arsenide at 1260 degrees centigrade. The VPS/FGM process was then translated to build robust, long life, liquid rocket combustion chambers for the space shuttle main engine. A 5K (5,000 Lb. thrust) thruster with the VPS/FGM protective coating experienced 220 hot firing tests in pristine condition with no wear compared to the SSME which showed blanching (surface pulverization) and cooling channel cracks in less than 30 of the same hot firing tests. After 35 of the hot firing tests, the injector face plates disintegrated. The VPS/FGM process was then applied to spraying protective thermal barrier coatings on the face plates which showed 50% cooler operating temperature, with no wear after 50 hot fire tests. Cooling channels were closed out in two weeks, compared to one year for the SSME. Working up the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) to establish the VPS/FGM process as viable technology, a 40K thruster was built and is currently being tested. Proposed is to build a J-2X size liquid rocket engine as the final step in establishing the VPS/FGM process TRL for space flight.
Document ID
20100023065
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Holmes, Richard R.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Elam, Sandra K.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
McKechnie, Timothy N.
(Plasma Processes, Inc. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Power, Christopher A.
(Genie Products, Inc. Guntersville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
May 3, 2010
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
M10-0374
Meeting Information
Meeting: 7th Modeling and Simulation Meeting
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Country: United States
Start Date: May 3, 2010
End Date: May 7, 2010
Sponsors: NASA Headquarters, Department of the Navy, Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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