Wind Tunnel Modeling
KT Engineering supports Government and private companies with complete design, analysis, and fabrication services for subscale engineering models. Being headquartered in Huntsville Alabama, this work has focused primarily on models for use in the 14-inch Tri-sonic wind tunnel and nozzle test facility at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. KT Engineering develops detailed CAD models, fabrication drawings, and stress analysis while local precision machine shops fabricate and inspect the models. Deliverable products include the physical model, CAD models, fabrication blueprints, inspection reports, and stress analysis. This small business team has successfully developed a wide variety of complex missile, lifting body, and rocket nozzle models. A few examples are presented below.
J2-X Nozzle Simulators
KT Engineering served as prime contractor to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for the development of several highly instrumented test articles used to evaluate side loads during rocket engine start-up transients. KT Engineering developed designs for precisely contoured nozzles. These models incorporated numerous ports to map pressure profiles across the nozzle surface. One of the unique challenges of this design was a series of gas flow adapters with carefully controlled stiffnesses. KT Engineering used ANSYS finite element analysis software to estimate the stiffness so that a precise side load could be extrapolated from the testing. [-] Back To Top |
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Dream Chaser
The small business team of KT Engineering, Coleman Machine, and B&B Machine developed a modular wind tunnel model of the Sierra Nevada Corporation “Dream Chaser” stage atop the Atlas launch vehicle. KT Engineering served as prime contractor and was responsible for modeling, detailed drawing preparation, stress analysis, model delivery, and support for integration into the 14-inch tri-sonic tunnel at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. A highly successful wind tunnel test program was accomplished in 2012 using this model. ( NASA Marshall Star article. ) [-] Back To Top |
SWORDS
KT Engineering developed detailed designs and analysis for a 1.3% scale wind tunnel model of the SWORDS launch vehicle for the ARMY Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). The modular design enabled evaluation of full stack and upper stage configurations with and without stabilizing fins. NASA MSFC successfully completed 272 tests of the SWORDS vehicle wind tunnel model in the Spring of 2013. (NASA Game Changing Development article.) [-] Back To Top |
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