Posted on 04/15/2008 4:42:59 AM PDT by MHalblaub
There’s a strange wave phenomenon that’s plagued rocket scientists for years, a lurking threat with the power to destroy an engine at almost any time. For decades, scientists have had a limited understanding of how or why it happens because they could not replicate or investigate the problem under controlled laboratory conditions.
Scientists generally believe that these powerful and unstable sound waves, created by energy supplied by the combustion process, were the cause of rocket failures in several U.S. and Russian rockets. Scientists have also observed these mysterious oscillations in other propulsion and power-generating systems such as missiles and gas turbines.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Thrust oscillations are a known issue, especially with solid rocket motors. Liquids do not exhibit exactly the same characteristics and can generally be shut off if required. I have to disagree with the statement that they believe it was the cause of many failures. There are a few, but many more were previously-known problems that just never got fixed.
Yeah, my pickup has that problem. Especially if I turn up the radio.
I nominate Hillary’s voice as the culprit.
I second, and call the question....
Hoss
Could the sound waves be produced in a manner that would destroy an RPG in its tube?
RPGs use solid rocket motors, not liquid. There is a known phenomenon with solids, as I described, that is called resonant burning. The tube of an RPG launcher acts like a tuning fork, so it is conceivable that if the RPG exhibited resonant burning at the frequency of the tube of the launcher, then yes. Not to mention not being very pleasant to hold on to at that point.
Sure, if you can manage to start the motor. But then you’d better be careful which direction it is pointing.
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