Advanced grid stiffened composite payload shroud for the OSP launch vehicle

Author

Wegner, Peter M. ; Ganley, Jeff M. ; Huynrechts, S.M. ; Meink, Troy E.

Author_Institution

Res. Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM, USA

Volume

4

fYear

2000

fDate

2000

Firstpage

359

Abstract

The Air Force Research Laboratory´s Space Vehicles Directorate has developed methods to design and fabricate advanced grid stiffened (AGS) structures. These processes will drastically reduce the cost of composite payload shrouds. These procedures were successfully demonstrated in an AGS fairing for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization´s Combined Experiments Program. AFRL/VS has now joined with Boeing to develop an extended fairing for the orbital suborbital program´s launch vehicle. This larger fairing will allow for dual manifest missions on the OSP vehicle; resulting in an air force cost savings of nearly 𝔐 per launch

Keywords

carbon fibre reinforced plastics; costing; finite element analysis; space vehicles; C; CFRP skin; FEM model; OSP launch vehicle; Orbital Suborbital Program; advanced grid stiffened structures; composite payload shroud; cost savings; dual manifest missions; extended fairing structure; honeycomb panels; shroud design; shroud fabrication; shroud testing; tooling concept; Aluminum; Costs; Design methodology; Laboratories; Payloads; Polymers; Ribs; Skin; Space vehicles; Weapons;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace Conference Proceedings, 2000 IEEE

Conference_Location

Big Sky, MT

ISSN

1095-323X

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5846-5

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/AERO.2000.878447

Filename

878447