Experimental Research on Tile-Shaped Aerospike Nozzles

To understand the performance of aerospike nozzles and to design aerospike nozzle with higher efficientcy,the experimental research on two tile shaped aerospike nozzles has been conducted.The gaseous oxygen and alcohol were used as propellants in the experimental study.The engines researched here include a four unit tile shaped aerospike nozzle and a fourteen unit tile shaped aerospike nozzle.The experimental setup and the geometry of the two tile shaped aerospike nozzles are presented.The typical experimental curves are showed.The altitude characteristic and the effect of base bleed on aerospike nozzles are analyzed too.The experimental results indicate that the tile shaped aerospike nozzle has good altitude compensation ability,and that the proper base bleed can promote the nozzle performance.