“Burn-resistant materials for oxygen-rich turbopumps”
Metal fires are a catastrophic single-point failure mode that represent a major hurdle to the successful development of next-generation reusable rocket engines. In light of this issue, the MIT Aerospace Materials and Structures Laboratory (AMSL) has been collaborating with Aerospace Corporation and NASA to develop novel materials solutions for high-pressure oxygen environments. This talk will summarize the latest developments from this work, including: improved approaches for selecting oxygen-compatible materials; high-throughput test methods for assessing particle impact ignition; and oxygen-compatible materials that are intrinsically ignition-resistant. The talk will conclude with a perspective on how to transition these developments into industry.
