Production Engineering of Metal Parts for Little John Rocket Motor XM26E3 with Fin and Fin Barrel Assembly

摘要

Several components on the production engineered XM26E3 rocket motor provided a reduction in cost over the corresponding components of the XM26E1 rocket motor through savings in tooling, labor and materials costs. Cost savings for the production engineered shell assembly were not significant; however, reliability was increased by the elimination of welds. The production engineered one-piece nozzle eliminated close tolerances required at the mating surfaces between the nozzle and nozzle tip of the two-piece assembly and will eliminate a cause for possible rejects through misalignment of parts. The production engineered fins showed an increase in cost over the original fins; however, they have an advantage in that external disassembly and replacement of fins was made possible. (Author)