Calculation of Plasma Radiation in Electrothermal-Chemical Launcher

A numerical model of radiation has been adopted for electrothermM-chemical （ETC） launcher, in which Monte Carlo method and statistical physics are employed to simulate the process of a capillary plasma source in an ETC launcher. The effect on propellant grains with different average absorption coefficients is discussed. The plasma-propellant interaction is also discussed when combined with a thermal model. Results show that the strong instantaneous radiation is responsible for the transmission of energy to the propellant grains leading to ignition. The efficiency of energy absorption in the propellant bed always maintains a high level. Radiant energy caused by plasma is concentrated around the plaslna injector. And the ＂hot zone＂ efficiency is mainly affected by the properties of propellant grains within a small field around the plasma injector.

Application of transient burning rate model of solid propellant in electrothermal-chemical launch simulation

A 30 mm electrothermal-chemical(ETC) gun experimental system is employed to research the burning rate characteristics of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant. Enhanced gas generation rates(EGGR) of propellants during and after electrical discharges are verified in the experiments. A modified 0D internal ballistic model is established to simulate the ETC launch. According to the measured pressure and electrical parameters, a transient burning rate law including the influence of EGGR coefficient by electric power and pressure gradient(dp/dt) is added into the model. The EGGR coefficient of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant is equal to 0.005 MW-1. Both simulated breech pressure and projectile muzzle velocity accord with the experimental results well. Compared with Woodley's modified burning rate law, the breech pressure curves acquired by the transient burning rate law are more consistent with test results. Based on the parameters calculated in the model, the relationship among propellant burning rate, pressure gradient(dp/dt) and electric power is analyzed. Depending on the transient burning rate law and experimental data, the burning of solid propellant under the condition of plasma is described more accurately.

Mechanism of plasma ignition in electrothermal-chemical launcher

Plasma generator is a core component in an electrothermal-chemical(ETC) launcher. Its work state directly influences the launch efficiency of a system. The interaction between plasma and propellants is a very important mechanism in ETC technology. Based on the transient radiation model and open air plasma jet experiment, the mechanism of plasma ignition process is analyzed. Results show that the surface temperature of local solid propellant grain can quickly achieve the ignition temperature under the action of early transient plasma radiation. But it needs enough time to maintain the high energy flow to make self-sustained combustion of solid propellant grains. Because of the limited space characteristics of transient radiation, the near-field propellant grains can gain enough energy by the strong transient radiation to be ignited and achieve self-sustained combustion. The far-field propellant grains mainly gain the energy by the activated particles in plasma jet to be ignited and self-sustained combustion. Experiments show that plasma jet always has a high flow velocity in the area of the cartridge. Compared with conventional ignition, the solid propellant grains can obtain more quick and uniform ignition and self-sustained combustion by this kind of ablation controlled arc(ACA) plasma via energy skin effect of propellant grains, pre-heat temperature mechanism and high efficient jet diffusion.

Experimental research on the launching system of auxiliary charge with filter cartridge structure

A launching system with a filter cartridge structure was proposed to improve the muzzle velocity of the projectile.The combustion chamber of the launching system is divided into two fixed chambers,one is located in the breech chamber,and the other is arranged in the barrel.The breech chamber charge was ignited first,and the charges in the auxiliary chambers were ignited by the high-temperature,highpressure combustible gas trailing the projectile.In this way,the combustible gas in the auxiliary chambers could compensate for the pressure drop caused by the movement of the projectile.The proposed device features the advantage of launching a projectile with high muzzle velocity without exceeding the maximum pressure in the chamber.In order to obtain some internal ballistic characteristics of the launch system,some critical structure,such as the length of the filter cartridge auxiliary charge,the combustion degree of the propellant in the chamber,and the length of the barrel,are discussed.The experimental results show that with the increased auxiliary charge length,a pressure plateau or even a secondary peak pressure can be formed,which is less than the peak pressure.The projectile velocity increased by 23.57%,14.64%,and 7.65%when the diaphragm thickness was 0 mm,1 mm,and2 mm,respectively.The muzzle velocity of the projectile can be increased by 13.42%by increasing the length of the barrel.Under the same charge condition,with the increase of barrel length,the energy utilization rate of propellant increases by 28.64%.

A CombustionModel for Explosive Charge Affected by a Bottom Gap in the Launch Environment

Launch safety of explosive charges has become an urgent problem to be solved by all countries in the world aslaunch situation of ammunition becomes consistentlyworse.However, the existing numericalmodels have differentdefects. This paper formulates an efficient computational model of the combustion of an explosive charge affectedby a bottom gap in the launch environment in the context of the material point method. The current temperatureis computed accurately from the heat balance equation, and different physical states of the explosive charges areconsidered through various equations of state. Microcracks in the explosive charges are described with respectto the viscoelastic statistical crackmechanics (Visco–SCRAM) model. Themethod for calculating the temperatureat the bottomof the explosive charge with respect to the bottomgap is described. Based on this combustionmodel,the temperature history of a Composition B (COMB) explosive charge in the presence of a bottom gap is obtainedduring the launch process of a 155-mm artillery. The simulation results show that the bottom gap thickness shouldbe no greater than 0.039 cm to ensure the safety of the COM B explosive charge in the launch environment. Thisconclusion is consistent with previous results and verifies the correctness of the proposed model. Ultimately, thispaper derives amathematical expression for themaximumtemperature of the COMB explosive chargewith respectto the bottomgap thickness (over the range of 0.00–0.039 cm), and establishes a quantitative evaluationmethod forthe launch safety of explosive charges.The research results provide some guidance for the assessment and detectionof explosive charge safety in complex launch environments.

A new method for evaluating the firing precision of multiple launch rocket system based on Bayesian theory

How to effectively evaluate the firing precision of weapon equipment at low cost is one of the core contents of improving the test level of weapon system.A new method to evaluate the firing precision of the MLRS considering the credibility of simulation system based on Bayesian theory is proposed in this paper.First of all,a comprehensive index system for the credibility of the simulation system of the firing precision of the MLRS is constructed combined with the group analytic hierarchy process.A modified method for determining the comprehensive weight of the index is established to improve the rationality of the index weight coefficients.The Bayesian posterior estimation formula of firing precision considering prior information is derived in the form of mixed prior distribution,and the rationality of prior information used in estimation model is discussed quantitatively.With the simulation tests,the different evaluation methods are compared to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.Finally,the experimental results show that the effectiveness of estimation method for firing precision is improved by more than 25%.

Configuration Synthesis and Grasping Performance Analysis of Multi-Loop Coupling Capture Mechanism for Launch and Recovery of Torpedo-Shaped Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Research of capture mechanisms with strong capture adaptability and stable grasp is important to solve the problem of launch and recovery of torpedo-shaped autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs).A multi-loop coupling capture mechanism with strong adaptability and high retraction rate has been proposed for the launch and recovery of torpedo-shaped AUVs with different morphological features.Firstly,the principle of capturing motion retraction is described based on the appearance characteristics of torpedo-shaped AUVs,and the configuration synthesis of the capture mechanism is carried out using the method of constrained chain synthesis.Secondly,the screw theory is employed to analyze the degree of freedom(DoF)of the capture mechanism.Then,the 3D model of the capture mechanism is established,and the kinematics and dynamics simulations are carried out.Combined with the capture orientation requirements of the capture mechanism,the statics and vibration characteristics analyses are carried out.Furthermore,considering the capture process and the underwater working environment,the motion characteristics and hydraulics characteristics of the capture mechanism are analyzed.Finally,a principle prototype is developed and the torpedo-shaped AUVs capture experiment is completed.The work provides technical reserves for the research and development of AUV capture special equipment.

Commercial Aerospace: The Next Launchpad For the Chinese Economy

On December 29,2023,the first launch service tower was completed at the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center,marking a key step forward in building the launch capacity of China’s first commercial aerospace launch site.On December 10,a Hyperbola-2 methane-liquid oxygen reusable verification rocket was launched successfully,marking the first recovery of reusable carrier rockets in China.

Trajectory Design and Flight Result of Gravity-1 Launch Vehicle

Gravity-1(YL-1) launch vehicle completed its maiden flight from the Yellow Sea near Haiyang City, Shandong Province, on January 11, 2024, this mission successfully launched three Yunyao satellites into their 500 km orbit. The YL-1 has a performance of 4.2 tons for 500 km sun-synchronous orbit and 6.5 tons for low Earth orbit. The success of YL-1 has further enriched China's launch vehicle spectrum, and will facilitate the launch of medium and large satellites and satellite constellations. In this paper, the flight ballistic solution of YL-1 is introduced. The flight trajectory consists of seven flight segments. The trajectory design comprehensively considered the characteristics and safety requirements of the vehicle to achieve effective utilization of the performance. Through comparative analysis of the flight trajectory and the predicted trajectory, the result confirmed that the flight trajectory was consistent with the design results, the design methodology was correct, and the flight test met the expected requirements. Subsequently, the vehicle will be employed for commercial application launch services.

Technical Characteristics and Innovations of the Gravity-1 Launch Vehicle

On January 11, 2024, the Gravity-1 launch vehicle successfully carried out its maiden flight from a mobile sea platform off the coast of Haiyang in Shandong Province, sending three meteorological satellites, Yunyao-1 satellite No. 18-20, into an orbit about 500 km above the ground. The successful debut flight of Gravity-1 broke many records such as the world's largest solid launch vehicle, the first sea-launched strap-on launch vehicle in the world, with the maximum carrying capacity of current commercial launch vehicle in China. This flight marked a big step in the field of China's commercial space launch application. A new breakthrough has been made, which is of great significance for further expanding China's diversified and large-scale launch capabilities of medium and low orbit satellites, expanding the spectrum of China's launch vehicle types, and promoting the development of space science.

Parametric Optimization of Electrothermal-chemical (ETC) Launchers

The research on a 30 mm electrothermal-chemical (ETC) gun including theoretical simulation and experimental results is presented in this paper. The predictions of the theoretical model which is composed of three parts (i.e., pulse forming network, plasma generator and interior ballistics) are in good agreement with the experiments. In addition, we have performed some liquid propellant and solid propellant experiments, respectively. Among the solid propellant experiments, we have investigated the ignition modes of propellant and high velocity launchers. As a result, the 25 : 75 mixture of octane and hydrogen peroxide has a better effect than other liquid propellants. When the propellants are ignited nearby the bottom of projectile in chamber by using an ullage tube connected with the plasma generator, the kinetic energy of projectile will increase, while the chamber pressure will decrease. With a total input electrical energy of 180 kJ, the exit velocity of projectile is up to 2.1 km/s or so.

Analysis of the Gravity-1 Sea Launch System and Technical Features

Sea launch has the characteristics of flexible launching points, high landing area safety, and good economy. In recent years, it has become one of the important launch methods. Since 2019, China has carried out a total of 11 successful sea launches. The Gravity-1(YL-1) sea launch system consists of a launch vehicle system and a sea launch platform. The sea launch program includes roll on/roll off boarding, sea mooring, sea maneuvering, anchoring and positioning, system testing, and formal launch. Through the maiden flight of YL-1, the design and manufacturing technology of large tonnage dedicated launch ship, launch vehicle vertical transfer and roll on/roll off boarding technology, anti-shake technology for sea launch, simple inflatable flexible insulation protective cover technology, and remote wireless measurement and control technology have been fully verified.

Introduction and Prospects of Gravity-1 Launch Vehicle’s Sea-Based Three Verticals Testing and Launch Mode

Gravity-1 was the world's first carrier rocket to adopt the sea-based “three vertical” testing launch mode. This article introduces the overall layout of the launch site and the workflow of rocket testing and launch for its maiden flight mission. The process of vertical assembly, vertical testing, vertical transportation, and sea-based hot launches are explained. Additionally, it provides an outlook on the improved “three vertical” testing and launch mode for future missions, such as land-based launches, rapid launches, and remote sea launches.

Simulation of two-dimensional interior ballistics model of solid propellant electrothermal-chem ical launch with discharge rod plasma generator

Instead of the capillary plasma generator(CPG),a discharge rod plasma generator(DRPG)is used in the30 mm electrothermal-chemical(ETC)gun to improve the ignition uniformity of the solid propellant.An axisymmetric two-dimensional interior ballistics model of the solid propellant ETC gun(2D-IB-SPETCG)is presented to describe the process of the ETC launch.Both calculated pressure and projectile muzzle velocity accord well with the experimental results.The feasibility of the 2D-IB-SPETCG model is proved.Depending on the experimental data and initial parameters,detailed distribution of the ballistics parameters can be simulated.With the distribution of pressure and temperature of the gas phase and the propellant,the influence of plasma during the ignition process can be analyzed.Because of the radial flowing plasma,the propellant in the area of the DRPG is ignited within 0.01 ms,while all propellant in the chamber is ignited within 0.09 ms.The radial ignition delay time is much less than the axial delay time.During the ignition process,the radial pressure difference is less than 5 MPa at the place 0.025 m away from the breech.The radial ignition uniformity is proved.The temperature of the gas increases from several thousand K(conventional ignition)to several ten thousand K(plasma ignition).Compare the distribution of the density and temperature of the gas,we know that low density and high temperature gas appears near the exits of the DRPG,while high density and low temperature gas appears at the wall near the breech.The simulation of the 2D-IB-SPETCG model is an effective way to investigate the interior ballistics process of the ETC launch.The 2D-IB-SPETC model can be used for prediction and improvement of experiments.

Numerical simulation on the pressure wave in a 30 mm electrothermal-chemical gun with the discharge rod plasma generator

An axisymmetric two-dimensional(2D)internal ballistic model including the transient burning rate law is used to simulate the 30mm electrothermal-chemical(ETC)launch with the discharge rod plasma generator(DRPG).The relationship between the pressure wave and the initial parameters,such as input electric power,discharging timing sequence,loading density and propellant web thickness,is researched through the change of initial parameters in the model.In the condition of synchronous discharging,the maximum of the pressure wave can be controlled while the ratio of the input electric energy to the propellant chemical energy(electric energy ratio)is less than 0.11.If the electric energy ratio is larger than 0.11,the maximum of the pressure wave increases rapidly with the electric energy ratio.With the increasing of the electric energy ratio,the change of the first negative amplitude value can be ignored.In the condition of timing sequence discharging,the allowed input electric energy ratio to control the pressure wave is proportional to the current pulse duration.At the high electric energy ratio,the maximum of the pressure wave is inverse proportional to the current pulse duration.The pressure wave increases with the increasing of the loading density.But the allowed electric energy ratio to control the pressure wave and the variation trend of the first negative amplitude wave value doesn't change.During the discharging of the DRPG,the influence of changing propellant web thickness in ETC launch can be ignored.

Watt Linkage–Based Legged Deployable Landing Mechanism for Reusable Launch Vehicle: Principle, Prototype Design, and Experimental Validation

The reusable launch vehicle (RLV) presents a new avenue for reducing cost of space transportation. The landing mechanism, which provides landing support and impact absorption, is a vital component of the RLV at final stage of recovery. This study proposes a novel legged deployable landing mechanism (LDLM) for RLV. The Watt-II six-bar mechanism is adopted to obtain the preferred configuration via the application of the linkage variation approach. To endow the proposed LDLM with advantages of large landing support region, lightweight, and reasonable linkage internal forces, a multi-objective optimization paradigm is developed. Furthermore, the optimal scale parameters for guiding the LDLM prototype design is obtained numerically using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) evolutionary algorithm. A fully-functional scaled RLV prototype is developed by integrating the gravity-governed deploying scheme to facilitate unfolding action to avoid full-range actuation, a dual-backup locking mechanism to enhance reliability of structure stiffening as fully deployed, and a shock absorber (SA) with multistage honeycomb to offer reliable shock absorbing performance. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LDLM is capable of providing rapid and smooth deployment (duration less than 1.5 s) with mild posture disturbance to the cabin (yaw and pitch fluctuations less than 6°). In addition, it provides satisfactory impact attenuation (acceleration peak less than 10g (g is the gravitational acceleration)) in the 0.2 m freefall test, which makes the proposed LDLM a potential alternative for developing future RLV archetype.

Temperature influences of the recoil characteristics for aluminum honeycomb buffer in the tether-net launcher

Fluctuations in outer space's temperature would affect the spacecraft's regular operation.This paper aims to study the temperature influences of the aluminum honeycomb buffer in the tether-net launcher.Firstly,a buffer structure was designed to attenuate the pyroshock generated by the pyrotechnic device.Secondly,the mechanical properties of aluminum honeycomb at different temperatures were obtained through quasi-static compression experiments.Then,the internal ballistic responses of the launcher were gained by the closed bomb tests and the equivalent classical interior ballistic model.Finally,the recoil performance of the launcher with aluminum honeycomb buffer at different temperatures was studied.It is revealed that the aluminum honeycomb crushing force gradually decreases with the temperature increases.The peak pressure,burning rate coefficient and velocity increase while the peak time decreases with the temperature increase for the interior ballistics.For the launcher recoil responses,the average launch recoil decreases if the aluminum honeycomb doesn't enter the dense stage.The impact acceleration,projectile velocity and displacement increase as the temperature increase.The paper spotlights the temperature's influence on the recoil characteristics of the aluminum honeycomb buffer,which provides a new idea for buffering technology of pyrotechnic devices in a complex space environment.

Research on agile space emergency launching mission planning simulation and verification method

Space emergency launching is to send a satellite into space by using a rapid responsive solid rocket in the bounded time to implement the emergency Earth observation mission.The key and difficult points mainly include the business process construction of launching mission planning,validation of the effectiveness of the launching scheme,etc.This paper pro-poses the agile space emergency launching mission planning simulation and verification method,which systematically con-structs the overall technical framework of space emergency launching mission planning with multi-field area,multi-platform and multi-task parallel under the constraint of resource schedul-ing for the first time.It supports flexible reconstruction of mis-sion planning processes such as launching target planning,tra-jectory planning,path planning,action planning and launching time analysis,and can realize on-demand assembly of operation links under different mission scenarios and different plan condi-tions,so as to quickly modify and generate launching schemes.It supports the fast solution of rocket trajectory data and the accurate analysis of multi-point salvo time window recheck and can realize the fast conflict resolution of launching missions in the dimensions of launching position and launching window sequence.It supports lightweight scenario design,modular flexi-ble simulation,based on launching style,launching platform,launching rules,etc.,can realize the independent mapping of mission planning results to two-dimensional and three-dimen-sional visual simulation models,so as to achieve a smooth con-nection between mission planning and simulation.

Adaptive saturated tracking control for solid launch vehicles in ascending based on differential inclusion stabilization

The large-range uncertainties of specific impulse,mass flow per second,aerodynamic coefficients and atmospheric density during rapid turning in solid launch vehicles(SLVs) ascending leads to the deviation of the actual trajectory from the reference one.One of the traditional trajectory tracking methods is to observe the uncertainties by Extended State Observer(ESO) and then modify the control commands.However,ESO cannot accurately estimate the uncertainties when the uncertainty ranges are large,which reduces the guidance accuracy.This paper introduces differential inclusion(DI) and designs a controller to solve the large-range parameter uncertainties problem.When above uncertainties have large ranges,it can be combined with the ascent dynamic equation and described as a DI system in the mathematical form of a set.If the DI system is stabilized,all the subsets are stabilized.Different from the traditional controllers,the parameters of the designed controller are calculated by the uncertain boundaries.Therefore,the controller can solve the problem of large-range parameter uncertainties of in ascending.Firstly,the ascent deviation system is obtained by linearization along the reference trajectory.The trajectory tracking system with engine parameters and aerodynamic uncertainties is described as an ascent DI system with respect to state deviation,which is called DI system.A DI adaptive saturation tracking controller(DIAST) is proposed to stabilize the DI system.Secondly,an improved barrier Lyapunov function(named time-varying tangent-log barrier Lyapunov function) is proposed to constrain the state deviations.Compared with traditional barrier Lyapunov function,it can dynamically adjust the boundary of deviation convergence,which improve the convergence rate and accuracy of altitude,velocity and LTIA deviation.In addition,the correction amplitudes of angle of attack(AOA) and angle of sideslip(AOS) need to be limited in order to guarantee that the overload constraint is not violated during actual flight.In this paper,a fixed time adaptive saturation compensation auxiliary system is designed to shorten the saturation time and accelerate the convergence rate,which eliminates the adverse effects caused by the saturation.Finally,it is proved that the state deviations are ultimately uniformly bounded under the action of DIAST controller.Simulation results show that the DI ascent tracking system is stabilized within the given uncertainty boundary values.The feasible bounds of uncertainty is broadened compared with Integrated Guidance and Control algorithm.Compared with Robust Gain-Scheduling Control method,the robustness to the engine parameters are greatly improved and the control variable is smoother.

Cooperative Sampling Path Planning of Underwater Glider Fleet with Simultaneous Launch and Recovery

As low-cost and highly autonomous ocean observation platforms,underwater gliders encounter risks during their launch and recovery,especially when coordinating multi-glider deployments.This work focuses on cooperative path planning of an underwater glider fleet with simultaneous launch and recovery to enhance the autonomy of sampling and reduce deployment risks.Specifically,the gliders collaborate to achieve sampling considering the specified routines of interest.The overall paths to be planned are divided into four rectangular parts with the same starting point,and each glider is assigned a local sampling route.A clipped-oriented line-of-sight algorithm is proposed to ensure the coverage of the desired edges.The pitch angle of the glider is selected as the optimizing parameter to coordinate the overall progress considering the susceptibility of gliders to currents and the randomness of paths produced by complex navigational strategies.Therefore,a multi-actuation deep-Q network algorithm is proposed to ensure simultaneous launch and recovery.Simulation results demonstrate the acceptable effectiveness of the proposed method.