Micro Sensor Systems for Health Monitoring of Solid Rocket Motors

Solid composite rocket motor aging processes can compromise launcher and payload integrity. Current inspection techniques involve costly, time-intensive ultrasonic inspection and live-firing. Foster-Miller proposes to develop micro sensor suite toprovide real time monitoring of stabilizer depletion and off gassing. This information would be tied to an empirical and analytical database, coupling measured changes with motor health and performance. The system would be able to resolve changes due tonatural aging processes and accumulated damage due to manufacturing, handling, and storage loads. Sensors and conditioning equipment would be sized to minimize packaging and effects on the propellant, liner, and associated bonds. Phase I of the proposedwork would involve sensors mounted on inert blocks of propellant at a major solid rocket motor manufacturer to correlate measurements with previously measured behavior. Successful development would provide a non-intrusive, redundant, real-time healthmonitoring system that could ultimately be integrated into both large systems such as the Trident and smaller, air launched systems. (P-030275) Successful development would provide the DoD with a non-intrusive, redundant, real-time health monitoring system that could ultimately be integrated into both large systems such as the Trident and smaller, air launched systems. The system would improvemissile reliability and performance at much lower cost than current techniques. Alternative systems that could also benefit from the proposed technology include solid rocket motors for the Space Shuttle, and existing and new commercial launch systems suchas the Atlas V.