Liquid rocket engine frame and storage tank

Abstract

The utility model provides a liquid rocket engine frame and storage tank, which comprises a frame large end frame, a frame small end frame and a plurality of frame main beams, and the radial size of the frame large end frame is larger than that of the frame small end frame; the rack large end frame is used for being connected with the rear bottom of a storage box, the rack small end frame is used for being connected with an engine, one end of each rack main beam is connected with the rack small end frame, and the rack main beams are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the rack large end frame and the rack small end frame; a plurality of main beam branches are arranged at the ends, connected with the rack large end frame, of the rack main beams, and the rack main beams are connected with the rack large end frame through the main beam branches arranged at the ends. The rack can diffuse the thrust of an engine at the position close to the rear bottom of the storage tank, so that the rear bottom of the storage tank is stressed more uniformly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of launch vehicles, and particularly relates to a liquid rocket engine frame and a storage tank. Background Art

[0002] The liquid launch vehicle engine frame is used to connect the engine and the rocket body. It is an important force transmission structure for transmitting the engine thrust to the rocket body and is an important part of the launch vehicle structure. Traditional engine frames generally adopt a truss structure or a girder structure, with the material being stainless steel. They are combined into one by welding and then installed on the end frame of the liquid rocket cabin through bolts. For large-diameter launch vehicles, the frames of the truss structure or the girder structure have large dimensions, large deformation after welding, poor overall stiffness, and heavy weight. To reduce the weight of the rocket, the engine can be directly connected to the rear bottom of the storage tank through the frame. However, since the rear bottom of the storage tank is relatively thin and cannot bear large concentrated loads, the traditional truss structure and girder structure can no longer meet the design requirements.

[0003] To disperse the engine thrust load and transmit it to the rear bottom of the storage tank, it is particularly important to design a liquid rocket engine frame. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a liquid rocket engine frame 1 and a storage tank.

[0005] The utility model provides a liquid rocket engine frame, including: a large end frame of the frame, a small end frame of the frame, and a plurality of main beams of the frame. The radial dimension of the large end frame of the frame is larger than the radial dimension of the small end frame of the frame; the large end frame of the frame is used to connect with the rear bottom of the storage tank, the small end frame of the frame is used to connect with the engine, one end of each main beam of the frame is connected to the small end frame of the frame, and a plurality of the main beams of the frame are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame of the frame and the small end frame of the frame; a plurality of main beam branches are arranged at the end of the main beam of the frame connected to the large end frame of the frame, and each main beam of the frame is connected to the large end frame of the frame through a plurality of the main beam branches arranged at the end.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the large end frame of the frame, the small end frame of the frame, and the main beams of the frame integrally form a structure that is generally a frustum of a cone.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the main beam branches of the plurality of main beams of the frame are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame of the frame.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, a first main beam branch, a second main beam branch, and a third main beam branch are provided at an end of the main beam of the frame near the large end frame of the frame; the second main beam branch extends along the axial direction of the main beam of the frame, and the first main beam branch and the third main beam branch are symmetric with respect to the second main beam branch.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, it further includes a frame ring frame, which is sequentially connected to a plurality of the main beams of the frame between the large end frame and the small end frame of the frame.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the frame is integrally formed by arc additive manufacturing using aluminum alloy material.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the frame adopts a hollow structure.

[0012] On the other hand, the present utility model provides a liquid rocket engine storage tank, the thickness of the rear bottom of the storage tank is greater than the thickness of the tank wall, and the rear bottom of the storage tank is used to connect to the above-mentioned frame.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the rear bottom of the storage tank is provided with a frame connection flange installation groove, and the frame connection flange installation groove is used to embed a frame connection flange to connect the frame.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the storage tank adopts a self-pressurizing design.

[0015] According to the liquid rocket engine frame of the present utility model, through a plurality of main beams and main beam branches of the frame, the engine thrust is diffused near the rear bottom of the storage tank, so that the force on the rear bottom of the storage tank is more uniform.

[0016] It should be understood that the above general description and the following specific embodiments are only exemplary and explanatory, and they do not limit the scope of what the present utility model intends to claim. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The following drawings are part of the specification of the present utility model, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present utility model. The accompanying drawings and the description of the specification are used together to explain the principle of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic connection diagram of a liquid rocket engine and a storage tank according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a liquid rocket engine frame according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 is a sectional view of the rear bottom of a liquid rocket engine storage tank according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the frame connection flange of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0022] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings:

[0023] 1 - Frame; 2 - Rear bottom of the storage tank; 3 - Engine; 4 - Delivery pipe; 101 - Small end frame of the frame; 102 - Frame ring frame; 103 - Main beam of the frame; 104 - First main beam branch; 105 - Second main beam branch; 106 - Large end frame of the frame; 107 - Third main beam branch; 201 - Frame connection flange, 202 - Delivery flange. Specific embodiments

[0024] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present utility model will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present utility model and are used to exemplarily illustrate the principle of the present utility model, and are not configured to limit the present utility model. In addition, the components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the sizes of some components or regions in the drawings may be enlarged for other components or regions to help understand the embodiments of the present utility model.

[0025] The orientation terms appearing in the following description are all the directions shown in the drawings and do not specifically limit the structure of the embodiments of the present utility model. In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific situations.

[0026] In addition, the terms "including", "comprising", "having" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a series of elements, structural components or components include not only those elements, but also other structural components or components that are not explicitly listed or are inherent in the structural components and components. Without further limitation, the elements defined by the statement "including..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the articles or devices including the elements.

[0027] Spatial relationship terms such as "below", "beneath", "under", "lower", "above", "on", "higher", etc. are used for convenience of description to explain the positioning of one element relative to a second element, and it is meant that these terms cover different orientations of the device in addition to orientations different from those shown in the figures. Additionally, for example, "one element is on / under another element" may mean that the two elements are in direct contact, or it may also mean that there are other elements between the two elements. Furthermore, terms such as "first", "second", etc. are also used to describe various elements, regions, parts, etc., and do not particularly refer to an order or sequence, and should not be construed as a limitation. Similar terms denote similar elements throughout the description.

[0028] In the process of describing the present utility model hereinafter, in certain scenario descriptions, only "rocket", "launch vehicle", "spacecraft", "space launch vehicle" or "missile" may be used. This is merely for convenience of description, and its connotation is not limited to the specific words used. Generally, the rockets and launch vehicles of the present utility model include both space launch vehicles for carrying satellites, spacecraft or other detectors, and various missiles, rockets and other weapons for carrying military payloads, as well as similar products capable of sending payloads into the air. Those skilled in the art shall not, when interpreting the above specific words, limit the rocket or launch vehicle to only one of the launch vehicle or missile according to the specific words used in the description scenario, so as to narrow the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0029] For those skilled in the art, the present utility model can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is only to provide a better understanding of the present utility model by showing examples of the present utility model.

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic connection diagram of a liquid rocket engine and a tank according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a liquid rocket engine frame according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the rear bottom of a liquid rocket engine tank according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a frame connection flange according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0031] As Figure 1 and 2As shown in the figure, the utility model provides a liquid rocket engine frame 1, including: a large end frame 106 of the frame, a small end frame 101 of the frame, and a plurality of frame main beams 103. The radial dimension of the large end frame 106 of the frame is larger than that of the small end frame 101 of the frame. The large end frame 106 of the frame is used to connect with the rear bottom 2 of the storage tank, the small end frame 101 of the frame is used to connect with the engine 3, one end of the frame main beam 103 is connected to the small end frame 101 of the frame, and a plurality of frame main beams 103 are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame 106 and the small end frame 101 of the frame. A plurality of main beam branches are arranged at the end of the frame main beam 103 connected to the large end frame 106 of the frame, and each frame main beam 103 is connected to the large end frame 106 of the frame through a plurality of main beam branches arranged at the end.

[0032] Specifically, the skin-stringer structure is composed of skin, stringers, and end frames, and has the characteristics of simple structure, high structural efficiency, and light weight. This kind of structure can transfer the engine thrust load to the rear bottom of the storage tank more evenly. However, the skin-stringer structure has the following deficiencies: First, the overall openness is not good, making the general assembly of the launch vehicle more difficult and the operability poor. Second, during the forming process, riveting tooling is required to position and connect it, and the processability is poor. Third, since the skin, stringers, and end frames are connected by rivets and bolts, there are many standard parts, reducing the reliability of the structure. Fourth, when the engine is working, the frame needs to withstand a large amount of thermal radiation. If the storage tank contains cryogenic propellant, the thermal radiation received by the frame will be transferred to the rear bottom of the storage tank, bringing the risk of propellant vaporization and being unfavorable to the normal operation of the engine.

[0033] A liquid rocket and a propellant storage tank proposed in the patent publication number CN114718763A, in which the bottom structure of the storage tank is welded by two parts, an ellipsoidal bottom and a conical bottom. The curvature radius of the connection part between the ellipsoidal bottom and the conical bottom is the same, and the force transmission path is simple. Since the curvature radius of the connection part between the ellipsoidal bottom and the conical bottom is the same, when the included angle between the generatrix of the conical bottom and the axis is between 45° and 48°, the structural efficiency is the highest. However, at this angle, the axial dimension of the conical bottom and the frame connected above is relatively large, resulting in an increase in the axial dimension and weight of the rocket body. In addition, since the bottom of this storage tank is different from the other bottom structures of the rocket body, a separate set of forming and shape-preserving tooling is required for the bottom forming, increasing the complexity of the process and the processing cost.

[0034] A conical tank with engine thrust bearing proposed in patent publication number CN117211993A, in which the bottom structure of the tank consists of an ellipsoidal shell and a small conical shell, and the engine is directly connected to the small conical shell of the tank. This tank structure has no engine frame and is simple in structure, but has the following deficiencies: First, the ellipsoidal shell and the small conical shell are hermetically connected, and the size of the sealing ring is large. The process of manufacturing large-size sealing rings and sealing grooves that meet the sealing requirements of rocket tanks is difficult. Second, the engine thrust is transmitted from the conical section to the ellipsoidal bottom, and the direction of the force transmission path changes. The position of the change is the stress concentration position, and no force diffusion measures are taken. Third, this structure has no engine frame. Due to the small axial dimension of the small conical shell, the distance between the outflow flange and the flange of the engine delivery pipe docking surface is very short, and there is no space to install a delivery pipe that can be docked and coordinated. As a result, the outflow flange can only be directly docked with the flange of the engine delivery pipe, and the small conical shell is simultaneously docked with the engine gimbal and two delivery flanges. However, the accuracy requirements of the above three docking surfaces are relatively high, and the processing and installation processes are very difficult.

[0035] In this embodiment, the engine thrust is transmitted through multiple main frame beams, and multiple main beam branches are provided at the end where the main frame beam 103 is connected to the large end frame 106 of the frame. Near the rear bottom of the tank, force diffusion is carried out. In addition, this frame can also significantly reduce the engine heat radiated or transmitted to the rear bottom of the tank through multiple main frame beams and main beam branches, reduce the risk of propellant gasification, improve the reliability of the engine, and improve the structural strength. For example, six main frame beams 103 can be evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame 106 or the small end frame 101 of the frame, so that the force on the rear bottom of the tank is more uniform. Threaded holes or bolt holes can be provided on the small end frame of the frame to connect the small end frame of the frame to the engine (such as the gimbal of the engine) through bolts. The large end frame of the frame can be connected to the rear bottom of the rocket tank through the frame connection flange 201 of the rear bottom of the tank (as Figure 3 and 4 shown), to realize the connection between the engine and the rocket body. Threaded holes or bolt holes can be provided on the large end frame of the frame to connect the large end frame of the frame to the frame connection flange 201 through bolts. In addition, this frame is directly connected to the rear bottom of the tank, effectively shortening the length of the rocket body, reducing the weight of the rocket body, and being able to improve the connection stiffness of the engine, reduce the complexity of the processing technology of the rear bottom of the tank, reduce the production cost, and solve the problem of difficult docking and coordination between the engine and the tank. This frame structure is simple and compact, easy to install, and convenient to operate.

[0036] The frame of this embodiment can optimize and adjust the thickness of the main frame beam according to the thrust of the engine.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the large end frame 106, the small end frame 101 and the main frame beam 103 of the frame integrally form a structure that is generally a truncated cone.

[0038] In the embodiment, the frame can be a frustum structure.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the main beam branches of multiple frame main beams 103 are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the large end frame 106 of the frame.

[0040] In the frame of this embodiment, by uniformly arranging multiple main beam branches in the circumferential direction of the large end frame 106 of the frame, the engine thrust transmitted to the rear bottom of the tank can be evenly diffused to the rear bottom of the tank, so that the rear bottom of the tank is evenly stressed.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a first main beam branch 104, a second main beam branch 105 and a third main beam branch 107 are arranged at the end of the frame main beam 103 close to the large end frame 106 of the frame. The second main beam branch 105 extends along the axial direction of the frame main beam 103, and the first main beam branch 104 and the third main beam branch 107 are symmetric with respect to the second main beam branch 105.

[0042] In the frame of this embodiment, the engine thrust is transmitted through the frame main beam 103, and the load transmitted by the frame main beam 103 is diffused through the first main beam branch 104, the second main beam branch 105 and the third main beam branch 107, so that the rear bottom of the tank evenly bears the load.

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the large end frame 106, the small end frame 101 and the frame main beam 103 of the frame, the frame further includes a frame ring frame 102. Between the large end frame 106 and the small end frame 101 of the frame, the frame ring frame 102 is sequentially connected to multiple frame main beams 103.

[0044] In the frame of this embodiment, by providing the frame ring frame 102, the stability and stiffness of the frame can be improved. For example, the frame ring frame can be arranged near the small end frame of the frame.

[0045] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the frame is integrally formed by arc additive manufacturing using an aluminum alloy material.

[0046] The arc additive manufacturing integral forming process has the advantages of high production efficiency, strong design flexibility, low cost, high integration and reliability. The frame of this embodiment adopts an overall design. Through arc additive manufacturing, the processing difficulty can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the production efficiency can be improved. The whole frame is made of aluminum alloy material, with light weight and high stiffness. In addition, the frame adopts an integrated design without standard part connection, which can significantly improve the reliability of the structure.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the frame adopts a hollow structure.

[0048] The frame of this embodiment, by adopting a hollow structure (such as a hollow truncated cone structure), can reduce the weight of the frame, thereby reducing the overall weight of the rocket. In addition, the frame adopts a hollow structure, which is convenient for the overall assembly operation of the rocket.

[0049] On the other hand, the present utility model provides a liquid rocket engine storage tank. The thickness of the rear bottom 2 of the storage tank is greater than the thickness of the storage tank wall. The rear bottom 2 of the storage tank is used to connect with the frame 1.

[0050] The storage tank of this embodiment, by increasing the thickness of the rear bottom of the storage tank, can diffuse the engine thrust load, enabling the rear bottom of the storage tank to better bear the engine thrust load transmitted by the frame and preventing the storage tank from deforming. For example, the rear bottom of the storage tank can be ellipsoidal. The inner surface of the rear bottom of the storage tank is a theoretical ellipsoidal surface. During the processing and welding process, a common processing and shape-preserving tooling can be used with other bottoms of the storage tank. The outer surface of the rear bottom of the storage tank can be processed into different structural thicknesses according to the load requirements at different positions.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the storage tank adopts a spinning one-piece forming process.

[0052] The storage tank of this embodiment, by adopting the spinning one-piece forming process, reduces the process complexity and production cost.

[0053] As Figure 3 and 4 shown, according to an embodiment of the present utility model, the rear bottom 2 of the storage tank is provided with a frame connection flange installation groove for embedding the frame connection flange 201 to connect with the frame 1.

[0054] In this embodiment, bolt holes or threaded holes can be provided on the large end frame of the frame and the frame connection flange for connecting the large end frame of the frame with the rear bottom of the storage tank. The frame connection flange can be connected to the rear bottom of the storage tank by friction stir welding. By the limitation of the frame connection flange installation groove provided on the storage tank, the load on the weld between the frame connection flange and the rear bottom of the storage tank under the action of the engine thrust is effectively reduced, and the connection strength between the rear bottom of the storage tank and the frame connection flange is improved.

[0055] Furthermore, a delivery flange 202 is also provided on the rear bottom of the storage tank. The delivery flange 202 is used to connect the delivery pipe 4 to deliver the propellant in the storage tank to the engine.

[0056] In this embodiment, the delivery flange and the delivery pipe can be connected by bolts. The delivery flange 202 can be connected to the rear bottom of the storage tank by friction stir welding. One end of the delivery pipe 4 is connected to the delivery flange 202, and the other end is connected to the engine flange to deliver the propellant in the storage tank to the engine.

[0057] During the connection process of the engine and the tank, the engine can be first docked with the frame, and the frame with the rear bottom of the tank, and then the transfer pipe can be designed and processed by on-site sampling to ensure the reliable docking of the transfer pipe with the rear bottom of the tank and the engine.

[0058] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the tank adopts a self-pressurizing design.

[0059] For the tank of this embodiment, by adopting the self-pressurizing design, it can ensure that the propellant is delivered to the turbopump of the engine. In addition, the internal pressure of the tank can also provide a certain stiffness for the rear bottom of the tank, reduce the deformation of the rear bottom of the tank under the thrust of the engine or the frame, and improve the flight and orbit insertion accuracy of the rocket.

[0060] The above embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other and have corresponding technical effects.

[0061] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid rocket engine frame, characterized in that, Comprising: A large end frame of the frame, a small end frame of the frame, and a plurality of main frame girders, wherein the radial dimension of the large end frame of the frame is greater than the radial dimension of the small end frame of the frame; The large end frame of the frame is used for connecting with the rear bottom of the storage tank, the small end frame of the frame is used for connecting with the engine, one end of the main frame girder is connected to the small end frame of the frame, and a plurality of the main frame girders are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame of the frame and the small end frame of the frame; A plurality of main girder branches are arranged at the end of the main frame girder connected to the large end frame of the frame, and each of the main frame girders is connected to the large end frame of the frame through the plurality of main girder branches arranged at the end.

2. The frame according to claim 1, characterized in that, The large end frame of the frame, the small end frame of the frame, and the main frame girders integrally form a structure that is roughly a truncated cone.

3. The rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main girder branches of the plurality of main frame girders are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction of the large end frame of the frame.

4. The frame according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first main girder branch, a second main girder branch, and a third main girder branch are arranged at the end of the main frame girder close to the large end frame of the frame; the second main girder branch extends along the axial direction of the main frame girder, and the first main girder branch and the third main girder branch are symmetric with respect to the second main girder branch.

5. The frame according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a frame ring frame, which is connected to the plurality of main frame girders in sequence between the large end frame of the frame and the small end frame of the frame.

6. The frame according to claim 1, characterized in that The frame is integrally formed by arc additive manufacturing using an aluminum alloy material.

7. The rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame adopts a hollow structure.

8. A liquid rocket engine storage tank, characterized in that, The thickness of the rear bottom of the storage tank is greater than the thickness of the storage tank wall, and the rear bottom of the storage tank is used for connecting with the frame according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The storage tank according to claim 8, characterized in that, The rear bottom of the storage tank is provided with a frame connection flange mounting groove, and the frame connection flange mounting groove is used for embedding a frame connection flange to connect the frame.

10. The storage tank according to claim 8, characterized in that, The storage tank adopts a self-pressurizing design.

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