• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.780-787
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• 2017

The propellant grain configuration is a design variable that determines the shape and performance of a solid rocket motor. Grain configuration variables have complicated effects on the motor performance; so the global optimization problem has to be solved in order to design the configuration variables. The grain performance has been analyzed by means of the grain burn-back and internal ballistic analysis, and the optimization technique searches for the configuration variables that satisfy the requirements. The deterministic and stochastic optimization techniques have been applied for the grain optimization, but the results are imperfect. In this study, the optimization design of the configuration variables has been performed using the hybrid optimization technique, which combines those two techniques. As a result, the hybrid optimization technique has proved to be efficient for the grain optimization design.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.247-254
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• 2008

The primary objective of this research is to develop an efficient design and optimization methodology for SRM Wagon Wheel Grain and to develop of software for practical designing and optimization of Wagon Wheel grains. This work will provide a design process reference guide for engineers in the field of Solid Rocket Propulsion. Using these proposed design methods, SRM Wagon Wheel grains can be designed for various geometries, their optimal solutions can be found and best possible configuration be attained thereby ensuring finest design in least possible iterations & time. The main focus is to improve computational efficiency at various levels of the design work. These have been achieved by the following way. a. Evaluation of system requirements and design objectives. b. Development of Geometric Model of Wagon Wheel grain configuration. c. Internal ballistic performance predictions. d. Preliminary designing of the Wagon Wheel grain configuration involving various independent geometric variables. e. Optimization of the grain configuration using Sequential Quadratic Programming f. In depth analysis of the optimal results considering affects of various geometric variables on ballistic parameters and analysis of performance prediction outputs have been performed g. Development of software for design and optimization of Wagon Wheel Grain. By using these proposed design methods, SRM Wagon Wheel grains can be designed by using geometric model, their optimal solutions can be found and best possible configuration be attained thereby ensuring finest design.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.226-234
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• 2008

Grain design has always been a vital and integral part of Solid Rocket Motor(SRM) design. Basing on the design objectives set by the system designer, the SRM designer has many options available for selecting the Grain configuration. Many of the available configurations may fulfill the required parameters of volumetric loading fraction, web fraction & Length to diameter ratios and produce internal ballistic results that may be in accordance to the design objectives. However, for any given set of design objectives, it is deemed necessary that best possible configuration be selected, designed and optimized. Hence optimal results of all applicable configurations are vital to be attained in order to compare and finalize the design that will produce most efficient performance. Generally the engineers pay attention and have skills on a specific grain configuration. The designing methodologies and computer codes available usually focus on single grain configuration may it be Star, Wagon Wheel or slotted tube. Hardly one can find a software or a design methodology where all such configurations can be worked on jointly and not only adequate designs be found but optimal solutions reached by applying an optimization method to find final design best suited for any design objective. In the present work design requirements have been set, grain configurations have been selected and their designing has been conducted. The internal ballistic parameters have been calculated and after finding the preliminary design solutions, the optimal solutions have been found. In doing so, software has been developed comprising of computer programs for designing the 2D grains including Star, Wagon Wheel and Slotted Tube configurations. The optimization toolbox of Matlab Fmincon has been used for getting optimal solutions. The affects of all the independent geometric design variables on the optimized solutions have been analyzed. Based on results attained from Optimization Method, an in depth comparison of Grain Configurations and analysis of performance prediction outputs have been conducted to come to conclusion as to which grain configuration is ideal for the current design requirement under study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.349-352
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• 2008

This work is to observe combustion characteristics depending on variation of the solid propellent grain configuration. The LRE (Liquid Rocket Engine) enables adjusting the thrust by controling the required fuel mass glow, but the SRM(Solid Rocket Motor)is not easy to adjust th thrust due to the difficulty of th fuel flow control by its combustion behavior even its configuration is simple. This difficulty can be partly solved by changing th size or the configuration of the propellant grain. In this study a proper grain configuration of a small solid rocket is selected through both the theoretical design and the experimental tests.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2023

The star-shaped propellant grain can be used for designing burning surface areas with various profiles and are easy to manufacture, so it can be usefully applied to actual solid rocket motors. However, since there are many design-related configuration variables and slivers at the end of combustion, it is difficult to achieve an optimal design using a general optimization technique. In this study, the new method for designing star grains using a database was proposed to increase usability and success rate of optimization design. In the proposed method, a solution that satisfies the requirements is obtained after defining the performance variables, constructing the database. By applying the proposed method, the design of star grains with various profiles of the burning surface area was performed, and the validity of the design method was confirmed.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1939-1949
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• 2005

Many studies have been conducted to increase regression rate of solid fuel in hybrid rocket. One of them resorts to swirl flow since it can extend the residence time of oxidizer in the fuel grain. Also, metal wires may lead to increase the regression rate of solid fuel as shown in solid propellants. In this study, a series of experiments was designed to investigate the enhancement of regression rate of solid fuel by embedded metal wires and by fuel port grain. And fuel port was designed with a helical configuration to attempt to induce swirl flow. PMMA with gaseous oxygen is the solid fuel used for investigation. Test results showed that embedded metal wires turned out to be ineffective method because only $3-4\%$ increases in regression rate were observed. However, fuel port grain configuration yields higher burning performance of up to $50\%$ increase in regression rate. Also pitch number as well as total impulse was found to be a design variable.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.372-381
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• 2008

We developed a design automation system to reduce the lead time and help engineers in designing a solid fuel, or a grain, for rocket missiles. First, we analyzed design activities and shapes of a grain, which resulted in the standard of design process and shape. We decided development process which consisted of two typical activities such as constructing master library and implementing design system. We constructed some master models for typical external shapes and core shapes of grains which were used in modeling the shape of a designing grain. Also we implemented a design automation program to use the master models according to the pre-defined design process. It can calculate some design parameters such as mass, mass center, volume and combustion area that are used in analyzing a proposed grain. Finally, we could reduce the design time dramatically and increase design quality by automating many routine and difficult works.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.293-300
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• 2008

Efficient designing of SRM Grains in the field of Rocketry is still the main test for most of the nations of world for scientific studies, commercial and military applications. There is a strong need to enhance thrust, improve the effectiveness of SRM and reduce mass of motor and burning time so as to allow the general design to increase the weight of payload/on board electronics. Moreover burning time can be increased while keeping the weight of the propellant and thrust in desired range, so as to give the time to control / general design group in active phase for incorporating delayed cut off if required. A mathematical design, optimization & analysis technique for Slotted Tube Grain has been discussed in this paper. In order to avoid the uncertainties that whether the Slotted Tube grain configuration being designed is best suited for achieving the set design goals and optimal of all the available designs or not, an efficient technique for designing SRM Grain and then getting optimal solution is must. The research work proposed herein addresses and emphasizes a design methodology to design and optimize Slotted Tube Grain considering particular test cases for which the design objectives and constraints have been given. In depth study of the optimized solution have been conducted thereby affects of all the independent parametric design variables on optimal solution & design objectives have been examined and analyzed in detail. In doing so, the design objectives and constraints have been set, geometric parameters of slotted tube grain have been identified, performance prediction parameters have been calculated, thereafter preliminary designs completed and finally optimal design reached. A Software has been developed in MATLAB for designing and optimization of Slotted Tube grains.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.22-31
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• 2022

Existing Finocyl grain designs assume configurations and repeat the process of configuration modification and confirmation of the requirements through burn-back analysis. Such a design increases the design fatigue of workers and has a problem of different design completeness depending on capabilities. Therefore, this study devised an optimal design method that applied genetic algorithms to the Burn-back automation analysis program to solve the problem of existing design. For stable search, variable-offset and non-drawable configuration control techniques were developed. The program performance was verified through the searching neutral and double thrust grains.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2021

In this study, the design criteria is presented for Finocyl grain, which is easy to generate neutral thrust when designing solid rocket motors. For this purpose, an automated program using drafting method was developed for burn-back analysis and its accuracy was validated. Using this developed program, burn-back analysis was performed with various configuration parameters of Finocyl grain, and the tendency and sensitivity analysis on burning characteristics were performed. Based on this analysis, the design criteria were presented to generate the neutral burning surface area trace for a Finocyl grain.