In addition to liquid rocket engine nozzle extensions, the technology developed within this effort would benefit any application that requires a metal-to-composite joint that operates under extreme thermal conditions. Letters of support from ATK and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (Included in Part 12 of the proposal) support the application of the proposed technology for future propulsion system designs.
Nozzle extensions are utilized on many rocket engines that require increased thrust and specific impulse. For large scale engines, there is currently no domestically available technology capable of meeting the operational needs. The technology developed here will have a direct impact on the design and manufacturing of metal-to-composite nozzle joints for all future propulsion system designs by offering a domestically available alternative to the non-domestic state-of-the-art. Although the proposed effort will focus on the J-2X engine design and loads, the developed technology could also be applied to the RL 10B-2 cryogenic application since the CTE issues are present in both cases.
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