EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION SOLID-FUEL RAMJET

An experimental parametric investigation of a solid-fuel supersonic co mbustion chamber in a scramjet configuration was conducted. A hydrogen -burning vitiated air heater was designed and built to simulate night conditions of Mach 5.5 in high and medium altitudes in a static test f acility (stagnation temperatures and pressures of up to 1500 Ei and 50 atm, respectively), Flow and combustion phenomena were studied by pre ssure measurements along the fuel grain and by analyzing video images, digitized from the video recording of each test. Self-ignition and fl ameholding characteristics were consistent with results from previous works. Flow and combustion characteristics changed as inlet conditions extended, exhibiting initially choked or unchoked flow patterns. In t he parametric investigation, incoming airflow conditions (total pressu re, total temperature, and mass flow rate) defined the parametric spac e, yielding a regression rate power law of these parameters. Combustio n efficiency was found to decrease with the increase of each of the in let parameters. Increasing the diversion semiangle of the diverging se ction of the solid grain resulted in lower regression rate values.