To 90-th Anniversary of M.V.Khrunichev Research and
Production Space Center
Research Activity of M.V.Khrunichev Space Center A.I.Kuzin M.V.Khrunichev Research and
Production Space Center Novozavodskaya,
18, Moscow, 121087, Russia The M.V.Khrunichev Research and Production
Space Center (KhSC) is one of the most successful and competitive Russian
players in the world space market. The historians date KhSC's foundation back to
April 1916 when the construction of a big plant (to become known as
"Russo-Balt, The Second Automobile Plant") began. In the mid-1920's the plant
engaged in the production of domestic aircraft, initially those designed by
A.N.Tupolev and then aircraft designed by V.M.Petlyakov or S.V.Ilyushin. A
design bureau headed by V.M.Myasischev was
set up in 1951. This design bureau developed the M4, 3M and M50 long-range
bombers. In accordance with a governmental decree the company switched over to
missile R&D in late 1959. Directed by this decree, the design bureau
(headed by V.N.Chelomey as its General Designer) developed and designed the UR
100 ICBM family and the Proton launch vehicle whose various modifications
continue to fly today. The 1960's are the times when the "Almaz"
long-life manned orbital station project was accomplished to become the
baseline for the domestic Salyut stations and later for the "Mir" station and
the ISS's Russian segment. Over the last several years, KhSC have been
developing the promising "Angara" launcher family, ISS modules and small
satellites for various applications (fig.1, fig.2). KhSC include several affiliated companies,
namely the "Salyut" Design Bureau, the "Armatura" Design Bureau, the Space
Hardware Plant, and the Space Hardware Processing Plant. Together, these
entities encompass the complete cycle of space-oriented hardware development,
design, manufacturing and processing. The space hardware developed and
manufactured by KhSC mostly includes unique high-tech proliferated systems. Hence a strong focus on the
development of these science-intensive technologies, and steps aimed at a
higher cost-effectiveness and a better quality of products through the
introduction of the latest advanced-research achievements. Traditionally, the KhSC's key research areas have included: -
development
of methods for optimizing space-hardware design solutions in the early design
phases; -
development
of methods assuring reliability and safety in the course of space-hardware
creation, processing or operation; -
studies
of missile/launcher/spacecraft flight dynamics and flight stability; -
studies
aimed at optimizing design and manufacturing-process solutions related to propulsion
units, pneumatic/hydraulic systems or intra-tank devices; -
development
of methodological basis for designing primary structures; studies of load
capabilities and thermal conditions of various structures; -
studies
of dynamic processes in, and the design of, various types of mechanisms and
separation systems; -
studies
of circuit-, design- or process-related solutions for GN&C systems; -
development
of methods of ground experimental design optimization and engineering test
support; -
studies
of space-hardware structural materials and manufacturing processes. Within
the framework of KhSC's design optimization efforts, a strong focus is placed
on research aimed at shaping the launch vehicle architecture. The R&D
related to the promising Angara launcher family rest on many years of
exploratory efforts, resulting in engineering solutions that meet the
governmental customers' requirements while ensuring competitiveness of this
family in the world market. This research demonstrated that a modular design
might lead to a reduction in launch vehicle development cost by about 50
percent for Stage 1 and by some 20 percent for the Stage 1 main engine. Moreover,
there are optimal quantities of propulsion units (3 to 6) on Stage 1 that will
minimize the cost of the existing program of missions. The Stage 1 generic booster unit (GBU) was
optimized with due regard for the earlier Russian developments in the area of
liquid rocket engines as well as for the specific features of the GBU
production line. The results of this optimization study became the starting
point for generating the configuration of the Angara family. The GBU dimensions
chosen enabled the designers to meet the requirements for the LV performance,
to employ in the most expedient way the domestic GBU R&D results and to
ensure a cost effective use of the Russian production facilities. KhSC have
been developing "Baikal", a reusable booster built around the "Angara" Stage 1
GBU "Baikal" can be regarded as the main building block of future Russian
reusable launch vehicles. The "Baikal" design will make use of time-proven
manufacturing processes and flight-proven off-the-shelf components. This
approach should result in the required. Further
optimization studies of future launch vehicles including reusable ones should
be carried out within the framework of the Federal Space Program and Oural, a
Russo-European program. Extensive studies have been carried out since
the 1960s to understand the effect of propellant tank slosh on the launch
vehicle motion, with the ultimate goal of ensuring launch vehicle stability and
maneuverability. This effort resulted in (1) experimental techniques enabling
measurement of hydrodynamic properties of liquids in LV propellant tanks, (2)
structural elements ("baffles") to damp slosh, and (3) reliable spacecraft
engine ignition techniques in a zero-g
environment. A key role in the development of launchers is
played by comprehensive studies of the motion dynamics and the design of
jettisonable stages of expendable launch vehicles. The goal of these studies is
to reduce the debris impact points dispersion and to make launch vehicles
environmentally safer. New structural materials with better properties have
been introduced and injection profile optimization methods have been developed
to improve LV performance. The results of a comprehensive analysis of the of LV
steering actuator motion have been translated into more stable and better
navigable launchers and into actuators with better dynamic properties, smaller
masses, less power requirements and a higher reliability. The launch vehicle upgrading program places a
strong focus on the improvement of diagnostic techniques and methods of
post-launch evaluation. Thus, KhSC have developed and introduced an advanced
technique to evaluate the average propellant mass consumption or the average
mass of propellant residuals in an upper stage without recurring to
special-purpose onboard devices to directly measure the propellant flow rates
and/or the propellant levels in flight. This technique is based on telemetry
data that represents the propellant pressure and temperature and is downlinked
during upper stage powered flight. Significant results have been obtained in
applied studies of the crack resistance of sophisticated structures. Some 200
missile/launcher tanks made of the AMg6 alloy were leak-proof tested. It is
analyzed the distribution of micro-crack leaks detected and sealed. It is
revealed that leaks fall mostly in the area around Q = 1´10-3
l×mm merc./s. This means that the size
of a micro-crack is just a few microns. However, our experience in series
fabrication of welded AMg6 structures shows that cracks even a few microns in
size are never encountered in either the alloy material or the weld when the
pre-specified process conditions are strictly maintained. This was demonstrated
by microslicing of a large number of test pieces in the course of tank
fabrication. In missile/launcher structures, alloys should
be preferred with the highest possible fracture toughness indices, Kn. The investigations show that the widely-used
AMg6 alloy is the most crack growth resistant and has the highest fracture
toughness index. The service life of an article made of this alloy is a
function of design quality and is to be verified by fatigue tests. The fracture toughness evaluation technique
described above was applied in the course of designing the "Zarya" FGB module
for the International Space Station (ISS). KhSC have developed and introduced
magnetic-pulse material processing techniques. These techniques make it
possible to fabricate, with little power requirements, robust and
weight-efficient structural elements, primarily electrical cables. The
experience gained in this area might find applications in both same-industry
companies and other (defense-related as well as civilian) industries. Among the new developments there are
multi-purpose conductive thermal-control coatings. These coatings are needed to
maintain the required thermal conditions in space-oriented hardware and to
ensure ESD control of launch vehicles or spacecraft. KhSC have developed and
patented a new white conductive thermal-control coating obtained by aluminum
flame spraying. This coating has the required absorptance (As = 0.35 to 0.40), emissivity (ε < 0.9) and resistance (ρ < 103 Ohms) and is devoid of the
drawbacks inherent in the well-known paintwork coatings widely used in the
space industry. It adheres well to thermal-insulation materials, carbon-fiber
reinforced plastics, glass-reinforced plastics, organic plastic materials, and
aluminum alloys. Further, this coating is resistant to thermal loads and
atmospheric effects and can be applied either manually or using a
high-performance mechanical process. It is weight efficient and its
per-unit-area cost is 2 to 2.5 times lower than that of the other existing
paintwork coatings. Gas-flow coating is a relatively new technique
being introduced in an ever widening range of industrial applications. This
method implies treatment of a surface by a powdered metal or a powdered mixture
of a metal and a ceramic. An ultrasonic gas jet obtained by supplying a
high-pressure gas into a supersonic nozzle is employed to speed up the
treatment process. Cold gas-flow spraying is used to deposit protective
coatings on stainless steel shields thereby providing an emissivity, e, of at least 0.7, or to seal
micro-cracks in aluminum propellant tank welds. The particular cold gas-flow
treatment processes and equipment developed and introduced at KhSC have
resulted in (1) a 2- or 3-fold increase in labor efficiency, (2) a 3- or 4-fold
reduction in propellant tank repair time requirements, (3) a better quality and
robustness of the radiative coatings of space-hardware protective shields, and
(4) outlining the ways towards developing new processes for creating aluminum-,
zinc-, copper- or nickel-basedš
corrosion-resistant coatings to be used as pads to which aluminum heat
exchangers can be soldered or as sealants of joints formed by different types of
materials. KhSC have been involved in
the development of nanomaterials with unique physical and mechanical
properties. Nanostructuring is the key factor in the development of processes
for manufacturing of low-weight spacecraft from thermally stable materials with
high strength-to-weight ratios. These up-to-date materials are designed to be
used in the aerospace industry and in the new generation of avionics and
nanoelectronics. The controlled carbide-phase nanostructure self-organization
complemented by extreme effects (such as cyclic hardening, plastic forming,
including hydraulic forging, and plasma treatment) was employed to solve the
problem of nanostructure-based hardening of the entire volume of a piece of
material as applied to stainless, structural or tool steels or to the VK type
of alloys - traditional space hardware materials. This extends the service life
of the output article by a factor of 2 to 5. Experimental studies of variations
in the properties of specimens of materials subjected to long-term flights
onboard either "Mir" space stations or the ISS shed new light on phenomena such
as crack growth resistance, radiative or photochemical oxidation processes, and
outgassing. The effectiveness of the company's research
activities is achieved through streamlined research planning and active
contacts with the scientific community. This is further supported by scientific
conferences, symposia, workshops, exhibitions and topical discussions of ripe
problems encountered by KhSC.š Several
R&D conferences have been held recently to review the problems of an
immediate interest for the company and related to setting up and operating
space systems. The High-Tech in the Space Industry section of Academic Readings
in Space Science and Technology has been active at KhSC since 2002. The S&T councils existing at both the
company level and in each department contribute significantly in coping with
challenging scientific and/or technological issues. The selection of topics for
research starts with a review of the company's goals and tasks, an evaluation
of the research community's opinion as expressed in decisions of the S&T
councils, and an analysis of scientific information obtained from various
sources. Studies to be either headed or supported by
KhSC across a wide range of areas are to be carried out in 2006 through 2010
within the framework of fundamental or applied research.š These areas include: -
comprehensive
system-science studies of S&T problems related to space activities; -
experimental
studies of the effect of some open-space agents on the sedimentation out of the
ambient atmosphere onto pollution-sensitive spacecraft surfaces; -
etudies
of problems involved in, and the potential for, increasing the
injection/operation performance of future space hardware through the
introduction of nano technologies; -
exploratory
design-related research aimed at defining an optimal long-term strategy for
creating future launchers including reusable launch vehicles (RLVs); -
studies
of the potential for improving the performance of the "Angara" family through
(1) reducing the sizes of drop fields and (2) reuse of Booster Stage 1; -
research
and development of reusable space systems; -
development
of guidelines for extending the rated service lives of gas supply systems and
pneumatic lines/fixtures in use at processing or launch facilities; -
measurement
of oil content in the gas media inside the pad pneumatic/hydraulic equipment; -
studies
of processes used to seal moving joints in high-pressure pneumatic/hydraulic
hoisting jacks operating at cryogenic temperatures; -
evaluation
of the potential for the introduction in future space hardware of the Russian
off-the-shelf S&T results in the field of nano technologies; -
studies
and introduction of (1) the techniques and specific features of metrological
evaluation of nano materials and (2) instruments for this evaluation; -
research
in the field of low-density alloys with improved electrical and mechanical
behavior, the ultimate goal being the manufacturing of low-weight/small-size
onboard harness and other electrical equipment; -
development
and design of a modified multi-beam plant with a multi-faceted goal of
increasing wear and corrosion resistance, and compacting and strengthening of
coatings through single-run vacuum multi-layer sputtering (without intermediate
opening-up of the vacuum chamber); -
development
and introduction of an environmentally clean coating process; -
further
development of magnetic-pulse material treatment processes as a
resource/material saving approach in the space industry; -
research,
development and introduction of equipment and processes for friction welding of
LV aluminum tank structures; -
development
of instruments for measuring the composition of blood proteins with an ultimate
goal of developing early cancer diagnostics based on the studies of the
frequency shifts and changes in polarization properties of a laser beam
scattered in a bio liquid; -
study of interaction between hydrogen or oxygen and an
ion-plasma sputtered sub-nano film. Of great significance for
an efficient handling of the tasks set for the company is the research material
base, the KhSC research personnel, and the funds allocated for research and
development. It is only a comprehensive approach to all these factors and their
successful implementation in research management that will lead to the
consummation of science and technology, which will have a positive effect on
the company's performance. KhSC set up a post-graduate studies system that
brings up researchers in the areas of interest for the company.š A first cohort of post-graduates
successfully completed their courses in 2005. Also, an engineer continuous
education system has been set up and now functions successfully. This system
closely cooperates with the leading higher engineering education centers, namely
the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the Tsiolkovsky Moscow Aviation
Technology Institute and the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Aviation Institute. Unlike
the traditional continuous education system, based on time-proven literature,
the KhSC system relies heavily on design documents, test reports, conference
presentations, etc. Due to this, less time is required for the hands-on
adaptation of a young engineer. |
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