Abstract—Payload Fairing (PLF) of a launch vehicle protects the payload from excessive thermal loads, acoustic vibrations, aerodynamic loads and other undesirable environmental influences during the atmospheric ascent phase of the flight. The Payload Fairing (PLF) of LVM3 consists of four segments, the Boat Tail, the Cylinder, the Nose Cone and the Nose Cap. It has a cylinder diameter of 5 m and a semi-cone angle of 200 for the boat-tail and nose cone portions. The overall height of the structure is 10.65 m. In order to save structural mass and minimize fabrication time, the PLF is realized using sandwich construction with carbon/epoxy face sheets and aluminium honeycomb core and assembled with aluminium alloy interface rings at all the segment joints. It is constructed in two halves with the longitudinal joints formed using a Linear Bellow System (LBS). The LBS consists of a linear piston-cylinder riveted structure holding a reinforced rubber bellow in folded condition and accommodates a Mild Detonating Cord (MDC) for pyro separation. For qualification of the structural elements of the payload fairing, a full-scale structural test is to be conducted. This involves simulation of aerodynamic pressure on the nose cap and nose cone areas and shear force application at three levels of bulkhead segment joints. This project brings out the details of the methodology, loads, test set-up and procedure for this test. For this purpose two pressure chambers are used in nose cone and nose cap regions for the simulation of aerodynamic pressures. So this paper includes the Design, Modeling and Finite Element Analysis of these pressure chambers.

Index Terms—Nose cone, Nose cap, Pressure, Heat shield, Payload fairing stress, Load, Margin of safety

Cite: Roshbe S Calolsa, Anish R, and Nirmal Ramachandran, "Design and Analysis of Pressure Chambers for Structural Qualification Testing of the Payload Fairing of a Launch Vehicle," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 240-246, April 2013.