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Variable shape expansion nozzle
I just had an idea. It probably wouldn't work but I was wondering
if anyone had thought of it, and found why it doesn't work. The ideal shape for an expansion nozzle isn't the same at sea level as in vacuum. In fact there has been some rocket engines which would extend the nozzle when a given altitude was reached in an effort to always have a nozzle shape which is nearly optimal. My idea is to build a nozzle that has a shape optimized for vacuum but to add inside something that fills in some space to make it look like a nozzle optimized for a pressure of 100 kPa. The filler material would be made of something that melts at just the right rate when the engine is on. Or maybe even something that burns at the right rate, something like the solid fuel of solid rocket motors might do. You get a nozzle that is optimized for 100 kPa at launch and optimized for vacuum when in vacuum. With the additional benefit that the walls of the nozzle are protected from the heat for the first few minutes. Of course there are a few technical details that would need to be taken care of before implementing :-) Alain Fournier |
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