Segmented SRM Pressure Oscillation Demonstrator

Large rocket motors, especially those with segmented grains, often exhibit pressure and thrust oscillations caused by coupling between large scale vortices (vortex shedding) and the acoustic modes of the chamber. The pressure oscillation of most concern in large motors is the longitudinal modes roughly corresponding to the first acoustic modes of the motor. The resultant thrust oscillations are a small percentage of the overall thrust level, but this excitation source can have major impact on the designs of the motor components, flight vehicle structure, avionics, and payload.