FORMING/PROCESSING

摘要

The welded housing for a new Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuel turbopump in the Space Shuttle has been replaced by a casting with an integral shaft/disk, thin-wall blades, and ceramic bearings, reports NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The cast housing makes the pump stronger, and should increase the number of flights between major overhauls. Although the new pump adds 135 kg (300 lb) of weight to the Shuttle, the results are a more reliable and safer engine be-cause of improved robustness.