Carrier rocket tail section

Abstract

The invention discloses a tail section of a carrier rocket, which belongs to the field of structural design of carrier rockets and comprises an upper annular end frame, a cross beam assembly, a lower annular end frame, a main skin and a plurality of groups of support structures for axially and radially supporting the tail section of the carrier rocket, the supporting structure comprises a box girder assembly and vertical ribs. The circle centers of the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame are located on the axis of the carrier rocket; the vertical ribs are arranged between the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame and are parallel to the axis of the carrier rocket; the main skin detachably wraps the upper annular end frame, the lower annular end frame and the outer circumference of the area between the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame. The modular layout is adopted, and the main skin adopts a detachable structure, so that the operation accessibility of the tail section structure in the scheme of multiple parallel engines is effectively improved, and the maintainability of the product can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of launch vehicle structure design, in particular to a launch vehicle tail section. Background Art

[0002] At present, with the rapid development of aerospace science and technology, aerospace has entered a new stage represented by the establishment of Internet constellations, utilization of space resources, and manned lunar landing. The society's demand for rocket transportation is constantly increasing, which puts forward huge requirements on the carrying capacity and low cost of launch vehicles.

[0003] The multi-engine parallel liquid launch vehicle can significantly improve the rocket's carrying capacity and reduce the cost of the launch vehicle. The rocket tail section is the main section of the multi-engine parallel liquid launch vehicle, located at the tail end of the launch vehicle and connected to the transition section of the launch vehicle. The tail section of the multi-engine parallel liquid launch vehicle has a complex thermal environment, and the parallel design of multiple engines makes the assembly difficult, and the operational accessibility and product maintainability are facing huge difficulties.

[0004] At present, the tail section structure of a launch vehicle with four engines in parallel is mostly a skin truss structure. However, when the number of parallel engines exceeds four, the operational accessibility and product maintainability of the existing multi-stage parallel tail section structure cannot meet the requirements.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a new technical solution to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present application provides a launch vehicle tail section with a modular layout and a detachable main skin, which effectively improves the operational accessibility of the tail section structure in a scheme with multiple parallel engines and can improve the maintainability of the product.

[0007] A launch vehicle tail section, comprising: an upper annular end frame, a crossbeam assembly, a lower annular end frame, a main skin, and a plurality of groups of support structures for axial and radial support of the launch vehicle tail section; The support structure includes a box beam assembly and vertical reinforcement; The upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame are arranged parallel to each other; the centers of the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame are both located on the axis of the launch vehicle; The vertical ribs are arranged between the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame, and are arranged parallel to the axis of the launch vehicle; the upper end of the vertical ribs is fixedly connected to the upper annular end frame, and the lower end of the vertical ribs is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame; The main skin is detachably wrapped around the upper annular end frame, the lower annular end frame and the outer circumference of the area between the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame; The crossbeam assembly is a regular polygonal structure or a circular ring structure; the geometric center of the crossbeam assembly is located on the center line of the lower annular end frame; The box beam assembly is arranged along the radial direction of the launch vehicle; one end of the box beam assembly is fixedly connected to the cross beam assembly, and the other end of the box beam assembly is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame.

[0008] Preferably, the supporting structure also includes a diagonal brace assembly; one end of the diagonal brace assembly is fixedly connected to the vertical reinforcement, and the other end of the diagonal brace assembly is fixedly connected to the box beam assembly; the diagonal brace assembly, the box beam assembly and the vertical reinforcement form a right triangle structure.

[0009] Preferably, the supporting structures are in 8 groups; each group of supporting structures includes a box beam assembly, a vertical reinforcement and a diagonal brace assembly.

[0010] Preferably, the vertical ribs are of a "Y"-shaped structure.

[0011] Preferably, the cross-section of the upper annular end frame is an "L"-shaped structure; the upper annular end frame is manufactured by a stretch-bending process.

[0012] Preferably, the main skin includes 8 independent skin blocks; each of the skin blocks covers the area enclosed by the adjacent vertical ribs, the upper annular end frame and the lower annular end frame; the skin blocks are made of a plate having a "convex"-shaped cross-section.

[0013] Preferably, the box girder assembly comprises two mutually parallel box girder transverse connecting plates and two mutually parallel box girder vertical connecting plates; the two box girder vertical connecting plates are arranged between the two box girder transverse connecting plates and are arranged perpendicular to the box girder transverse connecting plates; and there is a gap between the two box girder vertical connecting plates.

[0014] Preferably, the crossbeam assembly includes a crossbeam body; the crossbeam body includes two mutually parallel crossbeam transverse connecting plates and two mutually parallel crossbeam vertical connecting plates; the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates are arranged between the two crossbeam transverse connecting plates and are arranged perpendicular to the crossbeam transverse connecting plates; there is a gap between the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates.

[0015] Preferably, it also includes a heat-resistant skin covering the inner area of ​​the lower annular end frame; the adjacent box beam assembly, the lower annular end frame and the cross beam assembly enclose a swing area of ​​the launch vehicle engine; and the heat-resistant skin in the swing area is provided with an engine swing contour hole.

[0016] Preferably, the heat-resistant skin is made of a carbon fiber lining and a modified phenolic material by adopting an integrated molding process.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention adopts a modular layout, and the main skin adopts a detachable structure, which effectively improves the operational accessibility of the tail section structure in a large number of parallel engine solutions and can improve the maintainability of the product.

[0018] 2. The main skin of the present invention includes a plurality of skin blocks that are independent of each other and can be fixed to the upper annular end frame, vertical ribs, and lower annular end frame in a detachable manner, further improving the convenience of disassembly and assembly of the main skin.

[0019] 3. The present invention has a simple structure, and the main components are processed by standard profiles and welding technology. The structural scheme is reliable and the processing cost is low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the tail section of the launch vehicle of the present invention; Figure 2 A top view of the tail section of the launch vehicle of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a front view of the tail section of the launch vehicle of the present invention after the main skin is hidden; Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the diagonal brace assembly of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the box beam assembly of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the crossbeam assembly of the present invention.

[0021] The above drawings include the following reference numerals: 11. Upper annular end frame; 12. Vertical ribs; 13. Lower annular end frame; 21. Main skin; 31. Heat-resistant skin; 40. Diagonal brace assembly; 41. Upper pad; 42. Brace; 43. Lower pad; 50. Box beam assembly; 51. Box beam transverse connecting plate; 52. Box beam vertical connecting plate; 60. Cross beam assembly; 61. Cross beam transverse connecting plate; 62. Cross beam vertical connecting plate; 70. Engine swing contour hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the specific embodiments of the present application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0023] like Figure 1-Figure 6 As shown, a tail section of a launch vehicle comprises: an upper annular end frame 11, a crossbeam assembly 60, a lower annular end frame 13, a main skin 21, and a plurality of support structures for axial and radial support of the tail section of the launch vehicle. The support structure comprises a box beam assembly 50 and a vertical rib 12. The upper annular end frame 11 and the lower annular end frame 13 are arranged parallel to each other. The centers of the upper annular end frame 11 and the lower annular end frame 13 are both located on the axis of the launch vehicle. The vertical rib 12 is arranged between the upper annular end frame 11 and the lower annular end frame 13, and is arranged parallel to the axis of the launch vehicle. The upper end of the vertical rib 12 is fixedly connected to the upper annular end frame 11, and the lower end of the vertical rib 12 is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame 13. The main skin 21 is detachably wrapped around the outer circumference of the upper annular end frame 11, the lower annular end frame 13, and the area between the upper annular end frame 11 and the lower annular end frame 13. The cross beam assembly 60 is a regular polygonal structure or a circular ring structure; the geometric center of the cross beam assembly 60 is located on the center line of the lower annular end frame 13. The box beam assembly 50 is arranged along the radial direction of the launch vehicle; one end of the box beam assembly 50 is fixedly connected to the cross beam assembly 60, and the other end of the box beam assembly 50 is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame 13.

[0024] The upper annular end frame 11 is used to connect with other sections of the launch vehicle, and the lower annular end frame 13 is used to connect with the ground tooling. The vertical ribs 12 are used to bear the axial pressure and tension loads of the rocket body and can provide an installation interface for the main skin 21. The box beam assembly 50 is used to provide rigidity for the overall structure of the tail section of the launch vehicle.

[0025] Preferably, the vertical ribs 12 are of a "Y"-shaped structure and are symmetrically arranged along their vertical structure.

[0026] Specifically, the main skin 21 is wrapped around the outer circumference of the upper annular end frame 11, the lower annular end frame 13 and the area between the upper annular end frame 11 and the lower annular end frame 13, and is detachably fixedly connected by bolt connection.

[0027] The main skin 21 has a large area. After disassembly, it can provide assembly personnel with access to the compartment, and then carry out the final assembly and maintenance of the engine and pipelines in the tail compartment.

[0028] As another embodiment of the present invention, the support structure further includes an oblique brace assembly 40. One end of the oblique brace assembly 40 is fixedly connected to the vertical rib 12, and the other end of the oblique brace assembly 40 is fixedly connected to the box beam assembly 50, so that the oblique brace assembly 40, the box beam assembly 50 and the vertical rib 12 form a right triangle structure. The oblique brace assembly 40 can control the deformation of the tail section structure of the launch vehicle after being subjected to force, thereby improving its structural rigidity.

[0029] Preferably, the diagonal brace assembly 40 includes an upper pad 41, a brace 42 and a lower pad 43; the brace 42 is a round tube structure, and the upper pad 41 and the lower pad 43 are both plate structures. The upper pad 41 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the brace 42, and the lower pad 43 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the brace 42. The upper pad 41 and the lower pad 43 respectively play the role of connecting the diagonal brace assembly 40 with the vertical ribs 12 and the box beam assembly 50.

[0030] Furthermore, the diagonal support rod assembly 40 is made of aluminum alloy 2A12.

[0031] In this embodiment, there are 8 groups of support structures, each of which includes a box beam assembly 50, a vertical rib 12 and a diagonal brace assembly 40. The 8 groups of support structures and the cross beam assembly 60 enclose 9 areas in total, which can accommodate up to 9 engines, thus realizing a 9-engine parallel launch vehicle engine layout.

[0032] Furthermore, the main skin 21 includes 8 independent skin blocks; each skin block covers the area enclosed by adjacent vertical ribs 12, upper annular end frame 11 and lower annular end frame 13; the skin block is processed from a plate with a "convex"-shaped cross-section, and the main skin 21 of this type of structure has low processing difficulty and cost.

[0033] Furthermore, the main skin 21 is made of aluminum alloy 2A12 material.

[0034] The box beam assembly 50 includes two mutually parallel box beam transverse connecting plates 51 and two mutually parallel box beam vertical connecting plates 52; the two box beam vertical connecting plates 52 are arranged between the two box beam transverse connecting plates 51 and are arranged perpendicular to the box beam transverse connecting plates 51; there is a gap between the two box beam vertical connecting plates 52. The box beam assembly 50 is formed by welding plates of equal thickness, which can achieve lightweight structure and reduce the difficulty of processing technology and cost.

[0035] Furthermore, the box beam assembly 50 is made of aluminum alloy 2A12 material.

[0036] Preferably, the cross-section of the upper annular end frame 11 is an "L"-shaped structure and is manufactured by a stretch-bending process, which can reduce the difficulty and cost of structural processing.

[0037] Furthermore, the upper annular end frame 11 is made of aluminum alloy 7A09.

[0038] Preferably, the crossbeam assembly 60 includes a plurality of crossbeam bodies, and the plurality of crossbeam bodies form a regular polygonal structure or a circular ring structure. The crossbeam body includes two mutually parallel crossbeam transverse connecting plates 61 and two mutually parallel crossbeam vertical connecting plates 62; the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates 62 are arranged between the two crossbeam transverse connecting plates 61 and are arranged perpendicular to the crossbeam transverse connecting plates 61; there is a gap between the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates 62. The crossbeam assembly 60 is formed by welding plates of equal thickness, which can achieve a lightweight structure and reduce the difficulty of processing technology and cost.

[0039] Furthermore, the crossbeam assembly 60 is made of aluminum alloy 2A12.

[0040] Preferably, the lower annular end frame 13 is made of aluminum alloy 7A09 and is machined using a forged ring (or casting).

[0041] As another embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a heat-resistant skin 31 covering the inner area of ​​the lower annular end frame 13, which is used to bear the radiant heat environment brought by the bottom engine. The adjacent box beam assembly 50, the lower annular end frame 13 and the cross beam assembly 60 enclose the swing area of ​​the launch vehicle engine. At the same time, the box beam assembly 50 can provide an installation interface for the heat-resistant skin 31. The heat-resistant skin 31 in the swing area is provided with an engine swing profile hole 70.

[0042] Preferably, the heat-proof skin 31 is made of a carbon fiber lining and a modified phenolic material by using an integrated molding process, wherein the carbon fiber lining plays a bearing role and the modified phenolic plays a heat-proof and insulating role.

[0043] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0044] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0045] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0046] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A launch vehicle tail section, comprising a crossbeam assembly (60), an upper annular end frame (11), a lower annular end frame (13), a main skin (21), and a plurality of support structures for axial and radial support of the launch vehicle tail section; characterized in that: The supporting structure comprises a box beam assembly (50) and vertical ribs (12); The upper annular end frame (11) and the lower annular end frame (13) are arranged parallel to each other; the centers of the upper annular end frame (11) and the lower annular end frame (13) are both located on the axis of the launch vehicle; The vertical rib (12) is arranged between the upper annular end frame (11) and the lower annular end frame (13), and is arranged parallel to the axis of the launch vehicle; the upper end of the vertical rib (12) is fixedly connected to the upper annular end frame (11), and the lower end of the vertical rib (12) is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame (13); The main skin (21) is detachably wrapped around the upper annular end frame (11), the lower annular end frame (13), and the outer circumference of the area between the upper annular end frame (11) and the lower annular end frame (13); The crossbeam assembly (60) is a regular polygonal structure or a circular ring structure; the geometric center of the crossbeam assembly (60) is located on the center line of the lower annular end frame (13); The box beam assembly (50) is arranged along the radial direction of the launch vehicle; one end of the box beam assembly (50) is fixedly connected to the cross beam assembly (60), and the other end of the box beam assembly (50) is fixedly connected to the lower annular end frame (13).

2. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support structure further comprises an oblique brace assembly (40); one end of the oblique brace assembly (40) is fixedly connected to the vertical rib (12), and the other end of the oblique brace assembly (40) is fixedly connected to the box beam assembly (50); the oblique brace assembly (40), the box beam assembly (50) and the vertical rib (12) form a right triangle structure.

3. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are 8 groups of support structures; each group of support structures includes a box beam assembly (50), a vertical rib (12) and a diagonal brace assembly (40).

4. The tail section of a launch vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The vertical ribs (12) are of a "Y"-shaped structure.

5. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cross section of the upper annular end frame (11) is an "L"-shaped structure; the upper annular end frame (11) is manufactured using a stretch-bending process.

6. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 4, characterized in that: The main skin (21) comprises eight independent skin blocks; each of the skin blocks covers an area enclosed by adjacent vertical ribs (12), the upper annular end frame (11) and the lower annular end frame (13); and the skin blocks are made of a plate having a "convex"-shaped cross section.

7. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 4, characterized in that: The box beam assembly (50) comprises two mutually parallel box beam transverse connecting plates (51) and two mutually parallel box beam vertical connecting plates (52); the two box beam vertical connecting plates (52) are arranged between the two box beam transverse connecting plates (51) and are arranged perpendicular to the box beam transverse connecting plates (51); and there is a gap between the two box beam vertical connecting plates (52).

8. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 4, characterized in that: The crossbeam assembly (60) comprises a crossbeam body; the crossbeam body comprises two mutually parallel crossbeam transverse connecting plates (61) and two mutually parallel crossbeam vertical connecting plates (62); the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates (62) are arranged between the two crossbeam transverse connecting plates (61) and are arranged perpendicular to the crossbeam transverse connecting plates (61); and there is a gap between the two crossbeam vertical connecting plates (62).

9. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a heat-resistant skin (31) covering the inner area of ​​the lower annular end frame (13); the adjacent box beam assembly (50) and the lower annular end frame (13) and the cross beam assembly (60) enclose a swing area of ​​the launch vehicle engine; and an engine swing contour hole (70) is provided on the heat-resistant skin (31) in the swing area.

10. The launch vehicle tail section according to claim 9, characterized in that: The heat-resistant skin (31) is made of a carbon fiber liner and a modified phenolic material by using a molding process.

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