Dynamic reliability analysis for the reusable thrust chamber: A multi-failure modes investigation based on coupled thermal-structural analysis

Abstract

To evaluate the dynamic reliability of the thrust chamber in the reusable rocket engine (RRE) under multi-failure modes, a reliability analysis based on the coupled thermal-structural finite element model and the multiple response surface (MRS) is proposed. Through the deterministic thermal-structural simulation, two major failure modes, the static strength failure and cyclic cumulative damage, are examined. While the random variables are introduced concerning working loads, geometrical dimensions, and material properties. The reliability of a typical reusable LOX/H2 rocket engine thrust chamber is examined by the proposed method. The feasibility of the proposed method is validated by comparing our results with that from the traditional Monte Carlo simulation and the influences of sampling methods as well as set sizes are investigated. This study provides an efficient and steadfast approach to evaluate the reliability of thrust chambers in the reusable rocket engine and quantifies the importance ranking of working loads, geometrical dimensions, and material properties for the chamber reliability, which provides a valuable insight into the reliability-based design and optimization process for reusable rocket engines