UCDS Propulsion Modeling

History has repeatedly shown that combustion instability is the greatest technical risk faced in any chemical propulsion development program, with some form of pressure oscillations experienced in practically every engine development effort. The costs to mitigate combustion instability can be extremely large due the need to rely upon hardware intensive build and test efforts. This combination of high likelihood, high severity, and high cost that makes combustion instability a critical risk factor in the development of missile defense systems. The breakthrough Universal Combustion Device Stability (UCDS) process provides detailed insight into the dynamics of a rocket motor that allows engineers to reliably predict the oscillation characteristics of a combustion device. In this effort, GTL will be applying UCDS to evaluate the stability characteristics of a solid rocket motor and identify features that could be adjusted to alter the motor behavior. In addition to demonstrating UCDS effectiveness for this application, the effort will improve the understanding of combustion instability physics in solid rocket motors and provide engineering guidance on how to develop better motors. (Approved for Public Release | 16-MDA-8951 (15 December 16))