THE AEROSPIKE PROJECT
MANUFACTURE
The manufacturing process consisted of prototyping with 3D printed models made from PLA. With these preliminary designs we were able to refine our designs to optimize the integration with the META test stand. We in-house manufactured two parts, the housing and the cowl, using subtractive manufacturing. The full spike and truncated spike were manufactured via outsource manufacturing because of the complex geometry associated with the aerospike. Due to the manufacturing company not having the ability to produce the full aerospike and the truncated aerospike as they were designed there was some added manufacturing that was required and performed in house. For both spike designs one of the airfoils on the t-bar needed to be cut and ground down in order to have a trailing edge to the airfoil. Both spikes also required the holes that run through the airfoils to be drilled and tapped in order for the nitrogen bleed system to attach to the spike and flow through it. The truncated spike required an additional alteration that the full spike did not and that was the main bleed hole running through the actual spike to be drilled. All parts were made from PH 17-4 Stainless steel, due to budget restraints limiting us from looking into manufacturing with a metal that can withstand the heat of a test fire for a longer period of time.
MANUFACTURE REQUIREMENTS

MANUFACTURING IMAGES
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