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Large-Eddy Simulation of Vortex Shedding and Pressure Oscillations in Solid Rocket Motors

M. Bernardini

University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00184 Rome, Italy

*Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Via Eudossiana 18.

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M. Cimini

University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00184 Rome, Italy

†Ph.D. Student, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Via Eudossiana 18.

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F. Stella

University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00184 Rome, Italy

*Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Via Eudossiana 18.

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E. Cavallini

Italian Space Agency, 00133 Rome, Italy

‡Head of Scientific Research Unit; Solid Propulsion and System Engineer, Via del Politecnico snc; also ESA, 00044 Frascati, Italy.

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A. Di Mascio

University of l’Aquila, 67100 l’Aquila, Italy

§Full Professor, Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, Via Gronchi 18.

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A. Neri

ESA, 00044 Frascati, Italy

¶Head of VEGA-C Launcher System Integration and Launch System Synthesis Office (RM).

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and

E. Martelli

University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy

**Associate Professor, Department of Engineering, Via Roma 29, 81031, Aversa.

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Published Online:13 Aug 2020https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J058866

Abstract

A three-dimensional high-fidelity numerical simulation of a small-scale solid rocket motor is carried out adopting the implicit large-eddy simulation (ILES) approach to investigate the coupling between vortex shedding and the acoustic modes of the motor chamber. The ONERA C1xb laboratory-scale model is considered at a firing time close to ignition, corresponding to a 3-mm-grain burned layer. The analysis focuses on the characterization of the unsteady pressure signature on the motor wall, with emphasis on the role played by turbulence on the level of pressure oscillations. It is found that the root mean square of the wall-pressure fluctuations obtained by ILES along the motor wall is in excellent agreement with the experimental data, which is contrary to the prediction of axisymmetric simulations. Fourier spectral analysis reveals that, for this grain geometry, the first three longitudinal modes are weakly excited at the motor head end and most of the energy is concentrated in the shear layer detaching from the grain edge, whose development in the motor chamber is characterized by the rollers breakup with subsequent transition to fine-scale turbulence. The spectrum highlights that the coupling between vortex shedding and pressure oscillations is locked on the third acoustic mode, in agreement with previous experimental observations and with the frequency predicted by a simple acoustic feedback loop model.

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Volume 58, Number 12December 2020

Special Section on Recent Progress on Rotating Detonation and Its Application

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Acknowledgments

The simulations have been performed thanks to computational resources provided by the Italian Computing center, CINECA, under the Italian SuperComputing Resource Allocation initiative (grant IscrB_SW-DES-1). M. Bernardini was supported by the Scientific Independence of young Researcher program 2014 (Active Control Of shock wave/Boundary layer Interactions project, grant RBSI14TKWU), funded by the Ministry of Education, University and Research.

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Received20 July 2019
Accepted10 July 2020
Published online13 August 2020

Large-Eddy Simulation of Vortex Shedding and Pressure Oscillations in Solid Rocket Motors

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