RU2191277C2 - Plant for automatic filling of composite propellant charges of rocket engines - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: forming small-sized charges in full-scale production. SUBSTANCE: proposed plant includes swivel table on which detachable drum-rotor is mounted with molds to be filled placed on it. Needles of molds are movable and are provided with cutoff valves. Mass line supplying the propellant composition to molds is flexible and is provided with adapter mounted on pressing mechanism rod. Adapter is provided with flexible end-piece and mold filling termination sensor which is engageable with needle hoist actuating mechanism, service reservoir closing actuating mechanism and mass line release actuating mechanism. EFFECT: possibility of performing vacuumless molding in remote automatic mode by single or group method of charges of preset geometric form. 2 cl, 7 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to techniques for the manufacture of charges of rocket engines from CTT and is intended for molding mainly small-sized charges (up to 300 kg) in mass production.

A known installation for forming rocket charges according to US patent 3807272, issued 04/30/1974, the Installation contains:
- a rotating table and means of rotation in a horizontal plane;
- means for holding and securing the engine housings on the turntable in a vertical position, forming several positions;
- a system of supply pipes (mass pipe), adapted to connect the expendable capacity of the fuel composition with the bodies and supply them with the required amount of mass using metering cylinders;
- means for creating a vacuum associated with the system of supply pipes and housings;
- devices for forming a channel in charges by introducing forming needles having devices for holding and securing needles in cases;
- a control system that provides a given sequence of operation of the actuators of the installation.

 This installation provides a remotely controlled process of forming charges by means of a metered supply of fuel composition into the bodies from above under vacuum.

The disadvantages of the known installation are:
1. The complexity of the design of the mass supply pipeline of the fuel composition from the supply tank to the buildings. It consists of a vertical telescopic pipe connected to a central horizontal pipe having many branches (according to the number of simultaneously filled bodies) with valves and metering cylinders. The mass pipeline is inconvenient in assembly and has a great complexity in operation. Significant difficulties arise when cleaning the pipelines and dosing cylinders of the mass pipe from the fuel composition at the end of filling work. There are large unjustified losses in fuel composition due to the large number of pipelines.

 2. The use of vacuum in the formation of charges put forward additional requirements for ensuring the tightness of the elements of the installation, increasing the likelihood of defects in the charges due to the possibility of air leakage under vacuum pressure.

 3. The operation of installing the molds (engine housings complete with channel forming elements and the ends of the charge) on the rotary table and removing them after filling are done manually, which significantly increases the complexity of the process and does not ensure compliance with safety requirements.

 4. The method of filling charges by supplying the fuel composition from above under vacuum, used at the installation, causes profitable volumes to appear in the molds, which are usually removed by machining, which leads to additional labor costs and increases the risk of the manufacturing process of charges.

 The technical task of the present invention is to remedy these shortcomings, maximize automation of the molding process, reduce the complexity and improve the quality of the molded charges.

 The technical result is achieved by the fact that in the known installation for forming charges of rocket engines, containing a rotary table with means for fastening the molds on it, a rotary table drive, a mass supply pipe of the fuel composition from the supply tank to the molds to be filled and a control system on the rotary table a removable drum-rotor is placed, in the guides of which are installed with the possibility of vertical movement of the mold; the mold needles forming the charge channel are movable, their lower tips are in the form of shut-off valves mating in the closed position with the saddles of the lower covers, and the upper shanks are equipped with needle moving and fixing elements made, for example, in the form of a threaded connection (screw-nut ) In the working position of the rotor drum (at the position of filling the mold), the mold nut is engaged with a wrench, in the cavity of which a spring-loaded control rod is placed, resting on the needle shaft and controlling its open (lower) and closed (upper) position by pressing the limit switches. The mass supply line of the fuel composition from the supply tank to the mold to be filled is flexible and connected to an adapter mounted on the rod of the preload mechanism. The adapter has an elastic tip that enters the neck of the bottom cover of the mold to be filled and a built-in pressure sensor that detects the end of the filling and sends signals through the time relay to the actuators of the wrench (to close the shut-off valve), close the shutter of the supply container, and press the mass pipe.

 The design for simultaneous filling of a group of molds, the installation contains movable cassettes with molds located in the guides of the drum-rotor, a mechanism for moving needles, for example, a wrench made as a group with torque couplings on the keys, and the adapter of the flexible mass pipe has a distributor with channels and elastic tips the number of simultaneously filled molds.

 The proposed design of the installation provides remote automatic vacuum-free molding of the charges of rocket engines with high performance and quality.

The proposed design of the automatic filling installation is shown in the drawings, where
figure 1 shows a General view of the installation in section,
figure 2 - element B - the upper part of the mold and wrench,
figure 3 - view And the installation (in plan),
figure 4 - section BB - table rotation mechanism,
figure 5 is a view in plan of the installation, made in the performance for group filling,
figure 6 - section GG - group wrench,
Fig.7 - section DD - the clamping mechanism of the mass pipe.

 The automatic filling installation consists of a bed 1, a rotary table 2, a supply tank 3, a trolley 4, a flexible mass pipe 5 with a hydraulic cylinder 6, a nutrunner 7.

 On the rotary table 2, a removable drum-rotor 8 is installed, in the guides 9 of which are placed the molds 10. The mold (see Figs. 1 and 2) consists of a motor housing 11, a movable needle 12, a lower cover 13, an upper cover 14 with self-locking valves 15. The needle at the lower end has a shut-off valve 16, and at the upper end there is a thread on which a nut 17 is screwed, tightening the upper and lower covers relative to the housing 11 and fixing the needle in the closed position of the mold. Molds have the ability to move vertically in the guides 9 of the rotor drum. In the lower position, the molds are supported on the shoulder 18 of the drum. The drum is oriented on the turntable using pins 19.

 The rotation mechanism of the rotary table (see figure 4) contains a hydraulic cylinder 20, on the rod 21 of which a spring-loaded dog 22 is pivotally mounted, interacting with a gear sleeve 23, rigidly fastened to the shaft 24 of the rotary table. A plate 25 is fixed on the rod 21, which closes the sensors (limit switches) 26 and 27, which fix the working and initial positions of the drum-rotor 8, respectively.

 Consumption tank 3 (see figure 1), which can be used, for example, a removable housing of the mixer of the fuel composition, is mounted on the trolley 4 and has a piston hydraulic system for displacing the fuel composition through the valve 28 into a flexible mass pipe 5 and then into the press form 10. Opening and closing the shutter is performed using a hydraulic cylinder 29, on the rod 30 of which a plate 31 is fixed, which closes the sensors 32 and 33, fixing the position of the shutter.

 A flexible mass pipe 5 is connected to the shutter 28 and to the adapter 34 mounted on the rod 35 of the preload cylinder 6. The adapter has an elastic (rubber) tip 36 and a pressure sensor 37, which signals the completion of filling the mold. A plate 38 is fixed to the rod 35, which closes the sensors 39 and 40, fixing the upper (pressed) and lower (pressed) positions of the mass pipe, respectively.

 The nutrunner 7 is mounted on the upper plate 41 of the bed (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) and consists of a hydraulic cylinder 42, with the rod 43 of which the gear sector 44 is pivotally engaged with the gear shaft 45. The cavity of the gear shaft is integrated a key 46, the torque from which is transmitted to the nut 17 of the mold. The key has the possibility of axial movement and is pressed against the nut 17 by the spring 47. A spring-loaded pusher 48 is installed inside the key with a plate 49 acting on the sensors 50 and 51, which fix the lower (open) and upper (closed) position of the needle 12 of the mold. The initial and operating positions of the gear sector are recorded by sensors 52 and 53.

 Figure 5, 6 and 7 shows the design of the installation in the execution for collective filling of the mold. This design is intended for molding small charges weighing 10 ... 40 kg, the molding of which in a single method is irrational due to low productivity.

 In this installation, the guides 54 of the rotor drum are installed with the possibility of vertical movement of the cartridge 55 with the molds 56. The wrench 57 for moving the needles 58 of the molds is made in groups and consists of a hydraulic cylinder 59 and a gear reducer 60. A rail 62 is fixed to the rod 61 of the hydraulic cylinder which engages with the gear 63 sitting on the Central shaft 64 of the gearbox.

 From the central shaft, rotation is transmitted through gear 65 to four output pinion shafts 66, in the cavities of which hollow rollers 67 are integrated. Torque from the rollers is transmitted to mold nuts 68 through torque couplings 69 with keys 70. A spring-loaded follower 71 is installed inside each roller with a plate 72, acting on the sensors 73 and 74. The initial and working positions of the rod of the hydraulic cylinder of the wrench are fixed by sensors 75 and 76 when exposed to the plate 77.

 The clamping mechanism (see Fig. 7) has a hydraulic cylinder 78, on the rod 79 of which an adapter 80 is fixed. A fitting 82 of a flexible mass pipe 83 and a distributor 84 with four straight channels, at the end of which elastic tips 85 are mounted, is attached to the adapter using a clamp 81. the design of the distributor having direct channels and a connector is designed to ensure the convenience of cleaning its elements from the fuel composition. A pressure sensor 86 is installed in the fitting 82, which detects the end of the filling of the molds. A plate 87 is fixed to the rod 79, which closes the sensors 88 and 89, fixing the upper (pressed) and lower (depressed) positions of the distributor 84.

 The remaining nodes of the group filling installation: consumable capacity, rotation mechanism, mold - are made similarly to the installation of a single filling.

 The operation of the automatic filling unit during the formation of single charges of rocket engines is carried out in the following sequence. At the beginning, all actuators of the installation are brought to their original position. In this case, the sensors 27, 33, 40, 52 are closed.

 Remotely, by applying pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 20, the table is rotated with the drum-rotor to the working position. The working position of the table is fixed by sensors 26.

 Using the preload cylinder 6, the adapter 34 of the flexible mass pipe 5 is lifted, the elastic tip 36 is self-centered relative to the bottom cover 13 of the mold and enters its cavity, then the mold moves along the guides 9 of the drum up to the stop of the top cover 14 into the flange of the upper plate 41 installation. In this case, the nut 17 of the mold is pressed against the wrench 46 of the wrench. The sensor 39, when the plate 38 abuts against it, gives a signal to set the mold in the upper position. When you turn on the wrench 7, its wrench 46 engages with the nut 17 of the mold and rotates it by a predetermined number of revolutions. The needle 12 thus lowers and opens the mold for filling with a fuel composition. The open position of the mold is fixed by lowering the plunger 48 and locking the plate 49 of the sensor 50. Additionally, the position of the sector 44 is controlled by the sensor 53.

 The inclusion of the hydraulic cylinder 29 lowers the rod 30 and opens the shutter 28 of the supply tank. The shutter opening is detected by the sensor 32. A piston hydraulic displacement system is switched on in the supply tank and the fuel composition is supplied through the shutter 28, flexible mass pipe 5, adapter 34 enters the mold 10. Air is displaced from the mold through self-locking valves 15.

 The position of the actuators of the installation at the time of filling is shown in FIG. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The end of the mold filling process is determined using the sensor 37 when the required pressure of the fuel composition in the mold is reached. In this case, the signal to close the mold is issued after a certain exposure at the pressure reached using a time switch.

 The nutrunner 7 is turned on for the return stroke - the needle is raised - the mold is closed, fixed by the sensor 51.

 Next, a command is given to close the shutter 28 of the supply tank - the sensor 33 closes. Then the mass line is pressed, fixed by the sensor 40, and the rod 21 of the table rotation mechanism is returned to its original position. The operation of the sensor 27 signals the readiness of the installation for the next molding cycle.

 The control system ensures the operation of the installation when forming all the molds of the drum-rotor in automatic mode.

 At the end of filling, the drum-rotor with the filled molds is removed from the rotary table 2 of the unit, loaded onto the vehicle (railway platform or car) and transported to the subsequent phases of the technological process of manufacturing charges (polymerization, extrusion, etc.) .

The operation of the automatic filling installation performed for group molding (see Figs. 5, 6 and 7) is carried out similarly to the operation of the installation for single molding and consists of the following operations (the actuator and the sensor for fixing the end of operations are indicated in brackets):
- rotation of the table with the drum-rotor to the working position (hydraulic cylinder 20, sensor 26);
- preload of the mass pipe (hydraulic cylinder 78, sensor 88);
- opening of the molds (hydraulic cylinder 59, sensors 73 for each of the molds that are simultaneously filled in the cassette, sensor 76);
- opening the shutter of the supply tank (hydraulic cylinder 29, sensor 32) - the beginning of filling;
- filling in the molds (piston hydraulic system for displacing the fuel composition of the supply tank, sensor 86, relay for holding the pressure reached;
- closing the molds (hydraulic cylinder 59, sensors 74 for each of the molds that are simultaneously filled in the cassette, sensor 75);
- closing the shutter of the supply tank (hydraulic cylinder 29, sensor 33);
- return of the rod of the rotation mechanism to its original position (hydraulic cylinder 20, sensor 27).

 The execution of the automatic filling installation according to the proposed technical solution allows the formation of solid-quality charges of a given geometric shape without profitable volumes by supplying fuel mass from below without evacuating the mold. In this case, the capsulation of air in the fuel composition is eliminated by bleeding air from the cavity of the mold to be filled through the self-locking valves of the upper covers.

 At the end of molding in the mold, an excess pressure of the fuel mass is created (after the self-locking valves are closed) due to the pressure of the piston hydraulic system for displacing the composition from the supply tank and due to the movement of the shutoffs when closing the molds. The presence of excess pressure eliminates air leakage into the mold cavity during overloads and their transportation to the polymerization phase.

 The pace of operation of the automatic filling unit is determined by a membrane pressure sensor installed in the adapter of the flexible mass line and a timer for holding the achieved pressure equal to the pressure in the piston hydraulic system for displacing the fuel composition from the supply tank. Since the viscosity of the fuel composition increases during the filling process, self-tuning of the operating rate and control circuit is determined by the operation of the membrane sensor.

 The design feature of the distributor in the design of the group forming unit provided uniform and minimal resistance to the flow of fuel mass, and also conveniently decided the conditions for cleaning it after filling. The wrench mechanism and the use of a mold opening-closing control device in it excludes emergency situations in the presence of some non-synchronous operation of torque couplings. Moreover, only when all sensors located relative to the wrench are triggered, permission is issued for subsequent operations. The presence of removable cartridges moving in the drum, where the molds are installed, solved the issue of operating with a group of molds as with one element. This embodiment of the installation for group molding allows you to increase its productivity in comparison with a single filling at least four times.

 The installation of automatic filling of the charges of rocket engines according to the proposed technical solution was made and passed an experimental test with a positive result at Perm Plant named after S.M. Kirova.

Claims (2)

 1. Installation of automatic filling of the charges of rocket engines from mixed solid fuel, comprising a rotary table with fastening elements for molds on it, a rotary table drive, a mass supply pipe of the fuel composition from the supply tank to the molds to be filled and a control system, characterized in that the rotary table is equipped with a removable drum-rotor, in the guides of which filled molds are mounted with the possibility of vertical movement; the mold needles are movable and have shut-off valves on the lower tips that mate in the closed position with the saddles of the lower covers, and on the upper shanks there are elements for raising, lowering and fixing them, for example, a threaded connection connected to the actuator in a working position, for example, with a wrench having a spring-loaded stem for controlling sensors of the open-closed position of the molds, and the mass pipe is flexible and equipped with an adapter placed on the rod of the pressing mechanism with an elastic tip ik and the sensor of the end of filling, interacting through a time relay with actuators raising the needle, closing the shutter of the supply tank and squeezing the mass pipe.  2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that, for a group molding, it comprises movable cassettes with molds installed in the guides of the drum-rotor, the mechanism for moving the needles, for example a wrench, is made group with torque couplings on the wrenches, and the adapter is flexible the mass pipe has a distributor with channels and elastic tips according to the number of simultaneously filled molds.

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