The present research is an experimental and numerical study of aeroacoustic phenomena occurring in large solid rocket motors (SRM) as the Ariane 5 boosters. The emphasis is given to aeroacoustic instabilities that may lead to pressure and thrust oscillations which reduce the rocket motor performance and could damage the payload. The study is carried out within the framework of a CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) research program. Large SRM are composed of a submerged nozzle and segmented propellant grains separated by inhibitors. During propellant combustion, a cavity appears around the nozzle. Vortical flow structures may be formed from the inhibitor (Obstacle Vortex Shedding OVS) or from natural instability of the radial flow resulting from the propellant combustion (Surface Vortex Shedding SVS). Such hydrodynamic manifestations drive pressure oscillations in the confined flow established in the motor. When the vortex shedding frequency synchronizes acoustic modes of the motor chamber, resonance may occur and sound pressure can be amplified by vortex nozzle interaction. Original analytical models, in particular based on vortex sound theory, point out the parameters controlling the flow-acoustic coupling and the effect of the nozzle design on sound production. They allow the appropriate definition of experimental tests. The experiments are conducted on axisymmetric cold flow models respecting the Mach number similarity with the Ariane 5 SRM. The test section includes only one inhibitor and a submerged nozzle. The flow is either created by an axial air injection at the forward end or by a radial injection uniformly distributed along chamber porous walls. The internal Mach number can be varied continuously by means of a movable needle placed in the nozzle throat. Acoustic pressure measurements are taken by means of PCB piezoelectric transducers. A particle image velocimetry technique (PIV) is used to analyse the effect of the acoustic resonance on the mean flow field and vortex properties. An active control loop is exploited to obtain resonant and non resonant conditions for the same operating point. Finally, numerical simulations are performed using a time dependent Navier Stokes solver. The analysis of the unsteady simulations provides pressure spectra, sequence of vorticity fields and average flow field. Comparison to experimental data is conducted. The OVS and SVS instabilities are identified. The inhibitor parameters, the chamber Mach number and length, and the nozzle geometry are varied to analyse their effect on the flow acoustic coupling. The conclusions state that flow acoustic coupling is mainly observed for nozzles including cavity. The nozzle geometry has an effect on the pressure oscillations through a coupling between the acoustic fluctuations induced by the cavity volume and the vortices travelling in front of the cavity entrance. When resonance occurs, the sound pressure level increases linearly with the chamber Mach number, the frequency and the cavity volume. In absence of cavity, the pressure fluctuations are damped.

Les haubans de pont peuvent vibrer sous l'effet conjoint du vent et de la pluie (Rain-Wind-Induced Vibrations, RWIV). On observe toujours deux filets d'eau ruisselant le long du hauban sujet aux RWIV. De plus, une expérience récente (Alam et Zhou 2005), réalisée sur un cylindre fixe, montre que le sillage d'air est considérablement perturbé par la présence des filets. Nous présentons un modèle de film mince entourant un cylindre soumis au vent qui permet de prévoir l'apparition de filets, leur position et leur forme. Nous montrons en outre que l'existence des filets n'est possible que dans un intervalle de nombre de Weber, qui compare effet du vent et tension de surface. Un modèle d'interaction entre les filets et l'écoulement d'air environnant est ensuite exposé. Pour un intervalle de nombre de Weber, le détachement tourbillonnaire dévie de la loi de Strouhal et la portance fluctuante s'exerçant sur le cylindre est amplifiée, ce qui est en accord avec les expériences d'Alam. Pour les conditions de vent et de pluie qui président à l'apparition des RWIV, l'intervalle d'existence des filets et l'intervalle d'amplification de portance se recouvrent. Est-ce à dire que les RWIV peuvent être expliquées par un accrochage filets-sillage ?

Les oscillations de pression sont un enjeu majeur dans le design des moteurs à propergol solide car de faibles oscillations de pression (ODP) dans la chambre entraînent de fortes oscillations de poussée ce qui conduit à des vibrations néfastes pour les structures et les satellites embarqués. Les ODP sont encore aujourd'hui un vaste sujet de recherche et la simulation numérique est un outil indispensable dans leur analyse. De nombreux travaux ont permis de mettre en évidence divers mécanismes générateurs d'oscillations, mais la conception des nouveaux moteurs favorise la formation d'une instabilité hydrodynamique, appelée VSA et caractérisée par des détachements tourbillonnaire au niveau des discontinuités de la surface débitante. Etudiée dans les travaux sur le C1x [Vuillot 1995, Dupays 1996], il reste cependant divers points à aborder afin d'avoir une vision complète des mécanismes qui pilotent et modifient cette instabilité. Pour cela, il a été choisi dans ces travaux d'isoler le VSA dans une configuration académique et d'étudier dans un premier temps, l'impact du soufflage latéral, généré par un dégagement gazeux du à la combustion d'un bloc de propergol en aval de l'angle. Les deux approches utilisées, à savoir la simulation numérique et la stabilité linéaire, démontrent que le soufflage latéral possède un fort effet stabilisant sur le VSA. Dans un deuxième temps, l'impact de la combustion des particules d'aluminium et des résidus, présents dans un moteur à propergol solide, est analysé. Ces travaux montrent que les particules, via des mécanismes complexes, peuvent jouer à la fois un rôle stabilisant et déstabilisant sur le VSA. Pour finir, l'impact de la mise à l'échelle sur l'instabilité est étudié. Si en gaz seul, les résultats obtenus à échelle réduite sont directement transposables vers l'échelle réelle, la mise à l'échelle modifie le comportement des particules dans les structures tourbillonnaires et donc leur rôle sur l'instabilité. / Pressure oscillations (ODP) are a major issue in solid rocket motor design, as very small pressure oscillations induce strong thrust oscillations, involving vibrations detrimental to carrying load. ODP are still a vast and intense domain of research and the improvement of rocket motors mainly resorts to advanced numerical simulations. Extensive research have enabled to characterize several sources of instabilities, but new motor design promotes one hydrodynamic instability, called VSA and characterized by vortex shedding at geometry angles. VSA has be studied in the C1x configuration [Vuillot 1995, Dupays 1996] but several points still need to be studied in order to have a complete view of the phenomena driving and impacting this instability in a solid rocket motor flow. In this work, the VSA is isolated in an academic configuration and, in a first part, the impact of lateral blowing is studied. This blowing, never analysed so far, is due to burnt gases coming from the combustion of propellant block after the angle. This study has been performed following two approaches, numerical simulations and linear stability analysis. Both demonstrate the strong stabilizing effect of the lateral blowing. In a second part, the impact of aluminium particles combustion including the presence of residual particles, found in solid rocker motors, is analysed. This work shows that due to complex interaction mechanisms, particles can have a stabilizing or a destabilizing impact on the instability. Finally, the scaling impact is studied with and without particles. In purely gaseous configuration, the results obtained at reduced scale can be used directly at real scale as all the characteristics of the instability are preserved. However, with particles, the scaling modifies the particles behaviour and then the particles impact on the VSA.

The present research is an experimental and numerical study of aeroacoustic phenomena occurring in large solid rocket motors (SRM) as the Ariane 5 boosters. The emphasis is given to aeroacoustic instabilities that may lead to pressure and thrust oscillations which reduce the rocket motor performance and could damage the payload. The study is carried out within the framework of a CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) research program. <p><p>Large SRM are composed of a submerged nozzle and segmented propellant grains separated by inhibitors. During propellant combustion, a cavity appears around the nozzle. Vortical flow structures may be formed from the inhibitor (Obstacle Vortex Shedding OVS) or from natural instability of the radial flow resulting from the propellant combustion (Surface Vortex Shedding SVS). Such hydrodynamic manifestations drive pressure oscillations in the confined flow established in the motor. When the vortex shedding frequency synchronizes acoustic modes of the motor chamber, resonance may occur and sound pressure can be amplified by vortex nozzle interaction.<p><p>Original analytical models, in particular based on vortex sound theory, point out the parameters controlling the flow-acoustic coupling and the effect of the nozzle design on sound production. They allow the appropriate definition of experimental tests.<p><p>The experiments are conducted on axisymmetric cold flow models respecting the Mach number similarity with the Ariane 5 SRM. The test section includes only one inhibitor and a submerged nozzle. The flow is either created by an axial air injection at the forward end or by a radial injection uniformly distributed along chamber porous walls. The internal Mach number can be varied continuously by means of a movable needle placed in the nozzle throat. Acoustic pressure measurements are taken by means of PCB piezoelectric transducers. A particle image velocimetry technique (PIV) is used to analyse the effect of the acoustic resonance on the mean flow field and vortex properties. An active control loop is exploited to obtain resonant and non resonant conditions for the same operating point.<p><p>Finally, numerical simulations are performed using a time dependent Navier Stokes solver. The analysis of the unsteady simulations provides pressure spectra, sequence of vorticity fields and average flow field. Comparison to experimental data is conducted.<p><p>The OVS and SVS instabilities are identified. The inhibitor parameters, the chamber Mach number and length, and the nozzle geometry are varied to analyse their effect on the flow acoustic coupling.<p><p>The conclusions state that flow acoustic coupling is mainly observed for nozzles including cavity. The nozzle geometry has an effect on the pressure oscillations through a coupling between the acoustic fluctuations induced by the cavity volume and the vortices travelling in front of the cavity entrance. When resonance occurs, the sound pressure level increases linearly with the chamber Mach number, the frequency and the cavity volume. In absence of cavity, the pressure fluctuations are damped.<p><p> / Doctorat en sciences appliquées / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished