NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
The solid surface combustion experiment aboard the USML-1 missionAA Experimental results from the five experiments indicate that flame spread rate increases with increasing ambient oxygen content and pressure. An experiment was conducted aboard STS-50/USML-1 in the solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) hardware for flame spread over a thin cellulosic fuel in a quiescent oxidizer of 35% oxygen/65% nitrogen at 1.0 atm. pressure in microgravity. The USML-1 test was the fourth of five planned experiments for thin fuels, one performed during each of five Space Shuttle Orbiter flights. Data that were gathered include gas- and solid-phase temperatures and motion picture flame images. Observations of the flame are described and compared to theoretical predictions from steady and unsteady models that include flame radiation from CO2 and H2O. Experimental results from the five esperiments indicate that flame spread rate increases with increasing ambient oxygen content and pressure. The brightness of the flame and the visible soot radiation also increase with increasing spread rate. Steady-state numerical predictions of temperature and spread rate and flame structure trends compare well with experimental results near the flame's leading edge while gradual flame evolution is captured through the unsteady model.
Document ID
19950007798
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Altenkirch, Robert A.
(Mississippi State Univ. Mississippi State, MS., United States)
Sacksteder, Kurt
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Bhattacharjee, Subrata
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Ramachandra, Prashant A.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Tang, Lin
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Wolverton, M. Katherine
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Marshall Space Flight Center, Joint Launch + One Year Science Review of USML-1 and USMP-1 with the Microgravity Measurement Group
Subject Category
Materials Processing
Accession Number
95N14212
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS3-23901
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available