Implementation and Verification of a Micro-Jet-Vane System of a Solid Rocket Motor for a Micro-Nano Satellite

Abstract

To achieve rapid vector maneuvering of a space micro-nano satellite, a micro-sized solid rocket motor was utilized as its propulsion system, and a micro-jet-vane-thrust-vector control system was devised. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations were conducted on the designed micro-vane structure at various deflection angles to ascertain the lateral force and flow field characteristics. The motor’s combustion temperature is 1380 K. Therefore, materials such as 45 steel, alumina ceramics, and tungsten–molybdenum alloy were chosen for the jet vanes to carry out ground-based-motor-jet-ablation experiments and measure the ablation amount. Concurrently, experimental data, including lateral force, were gathered. The tests demonstrated that despite 45 steel having a higher melting point than the combustion temperature significant ablation still occurred. Alumina ceramics exhibited defects and experienced ablation and fragmentation post-test. In contrast, tungsten–molybdenum alloy, being a refractory metal, showed minimal ablation after testing, making it an ideal material for micro-jet vanes. At a 20° deflection of the jet vanes, the lateral force calculated via numerical simulation was 3.76 N, whereas the lateral force obtained from the test was approximately 3.8 N, resulting in an error within 1% and validating the numerical simulation’s validity and accuracy. The jet vanes can generate a maximum steering angle of 8°, thus ensuring the micro-nano satellite’s swift vector maneuvering at large angles.

Keywords

• solid rocket motor
• micro-jet vane
• flow field simulation
• motor-jet-ablation experiments
• tungsten–molybdenum alloy