Development of CMC Combustion Chambers for Advanced Propellants in Space Propulsion

Abstract

In the DLR project "Future Fuels", combustion chamber structures made of lightweight and high temperature stable ceramic matrix composites were in the focus of the development. In a first step, C/C-SiC tubes manufactured via the liquid silicon infiltration process and based on three different carbon fibre types and two different production methods for the CFRP preforms, were characterized. In biaxial pressure tests, all the different tubes could withstand the required inner pressure of 60 bar. Highest fracture strength was obtained with wet filament wound tubes based on ultra-high-modulus fibres, whereas tubes manufactured via prepreg wrapping using high tenacity fibre fabrics, offered a cost-effective alternative.