ASSESSMENT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF USING POLYMERS IN THE BODIES OF PROMISING LAUNCH VEHICLES BASED ON THE HEAT RESISTANCE FACTOR

Abstract

One of the possible ways to solve the problem of quick and low-cost payloads to low Earth orbits is the creation of ultralight rockets that use new construction materials, in particular, synthetic polymers. A promising approach to creating a launch vehicle of this type is the concept of a burnt rocket, the body of which is made of thermoplastic polymer materials. At the same time, the practical implementa- tion of such a launch vehicle requires additional research, in particular, the possible process of premature destruction of the structure due to aerodynamic heating. In this work, the heat resistance of polymer bodies of a new type of ultralight launch vehicles during flight in the atmospheric part of the trajectory was evaluated. For mathematical modeling of heating processes, we used the results of experimental studies of the thermodynamics of polyethylene and polypropylene during heating. These results allowed us to propose a mathematical model for calculating the process of heating polymer shells. The dynamics of the temperature fields during movement along the given trajectory of the launch vehicle in the atmospheric stage have been determined. It was established that under the given trajectories, both considered materials satisfy the conditions of heat resistance. The influence of temperature on the reduction of the strength characteristics of polymer bodies is shown, and the necessary thicknesses of the walls of the body shells, which should prevent deformation of the structure during aerodynamic heating, are determined. So, for the first time, the possibility of making rocket bodies from thermoplastic polymer materials has been theoretically substantiated.