Design and Optimization of 3D Wagon Wheel Grain for Dual Thrust Solid Rocket Motors

Abstract

AbstractThe combination of various design and performance parameters in dual thrust solid rocket motors coupled with constraints may lead to a multitude of configurations. It is difficult to initially determine a suitable design without optimization. In this article, a methodology for the design of a 3D wagon wheel that provides two levels of thrust, namely boost phase thrust and sustain phase thrust, is investigated. The proposed framework consists of an integrated approach of grain design, computer aided design and hybrid optimization. A hybrid genetic algorithm and simulated annealing are used for optimization due to their robustness and capability to find global optimal solution. Several benchmark test functions are used to validate the performance of the optimization algorithm and solution. Maximization of the average thrust ratio and the total impulse are the objective functions under the given constraints.