Abstract
The internal insulation in the Space Shuttle redesigned solid rocket motor field joint was designed to provide thermal protection to the steel case and O-ring seals. An unvented design concept was chosen to prevent hot chamber gases from reaching the inner joint. The joint design was verified through flow/thermal analyses and tests. Postulated flaws and subsequent leak paths through the joint bondline and O-ring seals were analyzed to verify that the joint would perform adequately under these undesired conditions. Tests of static motors with flawed joints paralleled the analysis effort, verifying design insensitivity to manufacturing flaws and subsequent leak paths. Results of tests and analyses showed that the design met all performance and safety requirements.
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