Assessing risks of frangible joint designs the NASA engineering and safety center (nesc) will evaluate the various frangible joint designs used for human-rated launch vehicles or other human-rated…

NASA's Langley Research Center awarded a $85,070 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order to The Aerospace Corporation on March 15, 2019, for assessing risks associated with frangible joint designs used in human-rated launch vehicles and applications. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of various frangible joint designs to determine how design parameters and flight environmental factors affect single Mild Detonating Fuse (MDF) frangible joint separation capability. This technical assessment aims to provide design guidance for safe and reliable frangible joints that support manned spaceflight operations.

The evaluation addresses three primary objectives: reducing engineering uncertainty regarding frangible joint operation mechanics by identifying design sensitivities, understanding the key factor sensitivities that impact reliability to enable better crew risk assessment, and making recommendations to improve the robustness of frangible joint designs. The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit federally funded research and development center headquartered in El Segundo, California, is well-positioned to execute this work given its extensive technical expertise in spacecraft design, launch vehicle technologies, and mission assurance across NASA and other federal agencies. The contract, which involves no set-aside designation, was scheduled for completion by September 30, 2019.

Assessing risks of frangible joint designs the NASA engineering and safety center (nesc) will evaluate the various frangible joint designs used for human-rated launch vehicles or other human-rated applications the purpose of performing an evaluation is to determine the effects that various design parameters and flight environmental factors have on single mild detonating fuse (MDF) frangible joint separation capability, which will provide design guidance for safe and reliable frangible joints supporting manned spaceflight. The objectives of this evaluation are to: (1) reduce engineering uncertainty in the mechanics of frangible joint operation by determining the sensitivities in the frangible joint design, (2) understand what drivers (factor sensitivities) impact reliability so that designs can be better evaluated in regard to crew risk, and (3) make recommendations for improving robustness of frangible joint designs as necessary.