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A finite element formulation is developed for the analysis of axisymmetric, transient, anisotropic
heat conduction problem with the temperature dependant thermo-physical material properties of a
graphite throat nozzle for the solid rocket motor. A standard Galerkin method using linear triangular
element is employed for the space discretization. The time integration is done using an implicit time
marching scheme of the first order differential equation. The convective heat transfer coefficient is
calculated using the Bartz correlation. A thermal stress analysis is also carried out on the graphite throat
of the nozzle using finite element method with two degrees of freedom. The developed computer codes
for this purpose are validated with known analytical solution and available ANSYS code.
4
A convergent-divergent nozzle is used as a difference method. Lee has obtained temperature
propulsive device in the launch vehicle. The nozzle distribution inside a nozzle of a solid rocket motor
expands high pressure and temperature gases from employing finite difference method. Henderson) has
subsonic to supersonic velocities. Modern high computed in-depth temperature response by solving
energy solid propellant produces combustion gases heat conduction equation with temperature-
of high temperature in order to enhance the specific dependent thermal properties.
impulse. The throat region of the convergent- The finite element method can easily solve a heat
divergent nozzle is therefore, exposed to high conduction problem for a complex geometrical
temperature and pressure environment as compared configuration. Various grid arrangement can be used
to other zone of the nozzle. The structural failure of to accommodate a complex geometrical configura-
the nozzle material may occur if the temperature tion and resulting simultaneous equations can be
exceeds the permissible operating design limit. A solved by using standard algorithm." The finite
thermo-structural analysis is required for satisfactory element technique to solve a heat transfer problem is
performance of the solid rocket motor. reported elsewhere in detail. A two-dimensional
Analytical and numerical methods are available heat conduction equation with time dependant
to obtain temperature distribution inside the heating condition at one surface of the specimen and
material. Carslaw and Jaeger' have obtained solution a radiation boundary condition at the other end is
for a simple geometrical configuration. A numerical solved using finite element method by Mehta et a/.x
algorithm to solve heat conduction problem The stress analysis of axisymmetric configuration
employing finite difference method is described in is described by Zienkiewicz. To the authors' best
detail by Rosenberg.' The finite difference approach knowledge, a coupled thermo-structure analysis of a
needs jacobian transformation to change rocket nozzle is not available in open literature. The
discretization from physical to computational main aim of the present paper is to investigate
domain, or special mathematical treatment to be thermo-structural analysis of a graphite throat insert
done to take into an account irregular boundary of of a typical solid rocket motor nozzle. A finite
the nozzle wall. element analysis is carried out to solve axisymmetric
Swaminathan and Rajagopalarr' have ana lysed transient anisotropic heat conduction equation with
the nozzle heat transfer problem using finite temperature dependant thermal properties.
272 INDIAN J. ENG. MATER. sci., OCTOBER 1998
Temperature distributions are computed at each The general procedure for solving Eq. (I) is to
node point and at each time interval for a given evaluate the Galerkin residual integral with respect
convective heat transfer coefficient variation. Using to space coordinate for a fixed instant of time. This
the computed temperature profile at the end of yields a system of ordinary differential equation
motor bum-out time, the displacements and resulting solved to obtain temperature distribution. The n
thermal stresses are computed using finite element equations can be written in a matrix form as
method. This coupled thermo structural analysis is dT
validated using ANSYS software." [C]-+[K]T={j} .. (7)
dt
Heat Transfer Analysis where [C], [K] and {f} are capacitance, stiffness
The governing axisymmetric transient anisotropic and load vector matrix, and can be written as
heat conduction equation with temperature [C] = Iv pCI' [N] r [N]dV (8)
dependant thermal properties can be written as
[K] = Iv[kr 8[Nl' 8[N] +k, 8[Nl' 8[N]]dV (9)
!~(rkr aT)+~(kz aT)= pCI' aT (I) ar 8r az az
r ar ar az az or
with the following initial and boundary conditions:
T= To on region t = 0 . (2)
j = Ir [N]" ur.:-T)dr ... (10)
where [D] is the material stiffness matrix and can where u, v and ware displacement in r, and z e,
be written as directions, respectively. The strain displacement
relationship is given as
aw
rr
au
e =-, eoo=-,
ar
u
r =:«
· .. (20)
au aw
boundo.ry 'r:C'.i: ~
erO =0,
er;:= az e:o=O +7);'
~he unknown displacements can be written in
terms of element nodal values
U}i-/
Ulj./
· .. (21)
NOZZLE AX1S
Inner boundo.r y (WQll) U!k·/
Fig. 2-A typical grid system for the graphite throat nozzle
Table 2-Properties
Property
208 153 150
of graphite':'
Graphite
25 15
The temperature distribution on the nozzle wall of -so -100 -50 o 50 100 150 200 250
Oistance.mm
graphite throat nozzle G I is shown in Fig. 3 and the
Fig. 3- Temperature distribution on the nozzle wall of
isothermal contour plot at various locations are
graphite throat nozzle G I
shown in Fig 4. The throat region of the nozzle is
attained a maximum temperature of 2977 K after the
specified period of performance of the motor. The l\T=92
convergent region experiences a temperature of the
range of 2825-2950 K and a divergent region is
having a range of 2925-2700 K. The convective
heating of the nozzle liner causes, the high
temperature at the inner wall and the maximum
value of convective heat transfer coefficient is at the
throat region. The minimum temperature is at the
Tmax=2977K
outer wall and at the region corresponding to throat
and nearby. The maximum throat material at this Fig. 4;-Isothermal contour plot for graphite throat nozzle G 1
region is the reason behind this minimum
temperature. In a divergent region, this temperature
increases due to less throat material. The maximum 4000
heat transfer coefficient of 14900 W1m K is at the
3500
throat region and minimum at the exit region of the
divergent of the nozzle which are calculated
employing the above mentioned Bartz's correlation.
The heat transfer coefficient increases from the
convergent region up to throat and then decreases.
3000
2500
- -
In nozzle G2, the temperature distribution of the
walls of a nozzle and isothermal contour plots are as __ Nozzle mer surface
in Figs 5 and 6. Here also, the maximum _._ Nozzle outer Slrface
o ~ __
_._.
-L
__ ._-_.- -.--.--
L-__-L L-__-L L-__~
coefficient plot is similar like G 1, nozzle. By -100 -50 0 50 100 W 200 250
comparing nozzle G I and G2, it reveals that the heat
transfer behaviour of nozzles are similar. Fig. 5- Temperature distribution on the nozzle wall of
The model taken for the structural analysis is the graphite throat nozzle G2
276 INDIAN J. ENG. MATER. scr., OCTOBER 1998
G I nozzle. The temperature distribution at all nodal noticed at the node, which is the last comer node of
points determined by thermal analysis is an input for the inner surface of the nozzle. At this node'
the structural analysis purpose along with the -region, the boundary is free to expand. The radial
pressure applied inside the boundary of the nozzle as direction displacement is maximum at the nodal
shown in Fig. 7. The zero displacement on the point near the throat region and value is 0.12236
lateral boundary is considered assuming a rigid mm.
assembly of the nozzle insert with the back-up The distribution of stresses are obtained such as
material. The pressure distribution is assumed (Jz, o, and (Js For the sake of the brevity, we are
constant along the inner wall of the nozzle. presenting the o, and (Jz in Figs 8 and 9. In all the
However, the calculation can be carried out with the these cases, the compressive stresses are acting on
varying pressure distribution. The boundary the inner surface of the nozzle and change to tensi Ie
condition for structural analysis is also shown in the towards the outer wall. It is noticed that the throat
same figure. region and the inner surface are subjected to high
The nodal displacement at each node is compressive stress. The inner surface is under the
determined in z and r directions. Displacement v is compressive stresses and changes to tensile stresses
taken zero due to the axisyrnmetry condition. toward the outer surface.
Maximum value of displacement is 0.040697 mm The stress values obtained by the finite element
Tmax=3014K
Fig. 7-Schematic sketch of a nozzle throat with application of
Fig. 6--lsothennal contour plot for graphite throat nozzle G2 pressure and thermal load with boundary condition
re
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