Spring-Assisted Pivotable Rocket Motor Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rocket motors often extend beyond the rocket's frame, making it difficult to fit within the interface envelope required for mounting on a carrier aircraft, which poses a challenge for launch and deployment.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a pivotable rocket motor with a spring-assisted one-time deployment mechanism and a release mechanism that allows the motor to pivot from a stowed position to a deployed position, changing the outer geometry of the rocket and enabling it to fit within the interface envelope initially and then deploy correctly for launch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rocket motor is extended beyond the rocket's frame to ensure proper deployment and ignition, then the deployment and ignition function is improved, but the rocket cannot fit within the interface envelope required for mounting on the carrier aircraft
Solution Approach 1:
The rocket motor is made pivotable between a stowed position (within interface envelope) and a deployed position (extended for ignition). The motor housing rotates about a pivot axis, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of the motor's spatial orientation to satisfy both mounting and deployment requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The rocket motor is nested within the rocket body during stowed configuration, with the motor housing positioned inside or along the longitudinal axis of the rocket. This nesting allows the motor to fit within the interface envelope while maintaining access to deployment mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If a complex actuation system is used to deploy the rocket motor, then the deployment control is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment mechanism uses the rocket motor's own thrust and structural components to drive the pivot rotation. The motor case interacts with guide surfaces and release mechanisms that are already part of the motor assembly, eliminating the need for separate external actuators
Solution Approach 2:
Guide surfaces and release mechanisms act as intermediaries between the motor thrust and the pivot rotation. These passive mechanical elements translate the motor's forward motion into rotational movement about the pivot axis, providing controlled deployment without complex actuation systems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows the rocket to be securely mounted on the carrier aircraft while ensuring proper deployment and ignition of the rocket motors, maintaining stability and control during flight by using a low-profile, lightweight, and passive deployment mechanism that eliminates the need for complex actuation systems.
Implementation Method 1
The spring-loaded housing causes the axle pivot to rotate the rocket motor to the deployed position when the frangible nut is broken
Data Source
AI summary
A rocket comprises at least one propulsion unit including a pivotable rocket motor, a spring-assisted one-time deployment mechanism, and a release mechanism. The pivotable rocket motor is pivotable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The spring-assisted one-time deployment mechanism moves the rocket motor from the stowed position to the deployed position when the deployment mechanism is released by the release mechanism. Outer geometry of the rocket is changed as the rocket motor is moved to the deployed position.