Abstract
THE titanium industry has had only limited success in fabrication and assembly using the titanium alloy 15-33-3. Presented are the results of a program to design, fabricate, assemble, and test a large propulsion tank made from titanium 15-3-3-3. The propulsion tank, 75 in. in diameter and 106 in. in length, contains approximately 15,000 Ib of propellants. The propellants are separated by a common bulkhead designed to be nonpressure-supported and to have no communicating welds to ensure no leakage between the fuel (monomethylhydrazine) and the oxidizer (mixed oxides of nitrogen). The propellant tank is the core structural component of a liquid stage envisioned for spacecraft using the space transportation system (STS) launch vehicle. The fabrication of the tank end domes and common bulkhead presented the greatest challenge. Different fabrication techniques considered for these domes were super plastic forming, closed hot die forging, cold spin forming, and explosion forming. Subscale pilot programs were conducted for explosion forming and spinning. A hot spinning operation was selected as the fabrication technique. This program has advanced the stateof-the-art and use of the titanium 15-3-3-3 alloy. The successful completion of the structural tests demonstrated structural adequacy and confirmed that titanium 15-3-3-3 could be used for large propulsion tank structures.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.