Feasibility study of additive manufacturing techniques applicable to resistojet propulsion systems

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

J.F. Bourgois Aerospace Engineering

Contributors

B.V.S. Jyoti Space Systems Egineering (mentor)
Faculty
Aerospace Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Copyright: © 2023 Justin Bourgois
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Published Date

19-01-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) can potentially offer significant benefits to the design and performance of resistojet components but has so far only seen limited research in this application. The goal of this study was to investigate the possibility of 3D printing a functional resistojet heating chamber and the potential benefits that this brings, by using an existing water resistojet as a reference design. To achieve these objectives a prototype chamber was designed, manufactured and tested, while in parallel a numerical model was developed to predict the performance of future designs. The tests were successful in demonstrating the functionality of the AM heating chamber, which allowed the thruster to produce up to 17.3 mN of thrust. However, the results did not allow for the validation of the numerical model, thus preventing its use as a tool to investigate the benefits of using AM for resistojet heating chambers.