Advanced Materials for Turbomachinery. Technical Memo Number 2. AdvancedMaterials Compatibility with Storable Propellants (Monomethyl Hydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide)

摘要

The advanced materials for turbomachinery (AMT) program is tasked withdetermining which advanced materials currently on the market are the most suitable for application to turbopumps. Initial work involves pumps carrying storable propellants (Monomethyl Hydrazine (MMH) and Nitrogen Tetroxide (NTO), and the first tests to be completed are compatibility tests of Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP's) along with some Metal Matrix Composites (MMC's) and Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC's). Preliminary investigations have been completed, and most of the LCP'S have shown themselves to be unsuitable for storable propellant applications. One LCP, however, has been shown to be compatible with NTO and it is under consideration for use in further applications. The CMC's and MMC's examined have proven to be more compatible than LCP's, but they are not impervious to the propellants. Testing was not carried out under extreme conditions. (high temperatures, samples under stress), so it does not necessarily indicate how a material will perform under actual turbopump conditions.