Stress analysis and fatigue life prediction of portable rocket motor test stand using finite element method

A portable rocket motor test stand serves as the apparatus to evaluate the performance of rocket motors under controlled conditions. This equipment is crucial for assessing the thrust of the RX 200 rocket motor and examining the capabilities of various components, including the tube, propellant, insulator, igniter, nozzle, and rocket cap itself. Before conducting the RX 200 rocket flight test, a preliminary assessment using this equipment is essential. Therefore, the design of a rocket motor test stand must be carefully calculated to ensure that the tool functions as desired. In this study, thrust force variations of 10,000, 12,000, 14,000, and 16,000 N were applied. The portable rocket motor test stand utilized Aluminium 6061-T6, known for its low density, corrosion resistance, and moderate strength. Finite element analysis was conducted using Ansys Workbench software. The results of the fatigue simulation reveal that the portable rocket motor test stand fails to achieve a service life of 1 million cycles at a thrust of 16,000 N.