SOLID ROCKET THRUST VECTOR CONTROL.

A brief review of thrust vector control systems is presented, and two systems, flexible joint and liquid injection, are treated in detail. Treatment of the flexible-joint thrust vector control system is limited to the design of the flexible joint and its insulation against hot motor gases; no evaluation is presented of the movable nozzle, the actuation system, or the means for attachment of the flexible joint to the movable nozzle and the fixed structure. Treatment of the liquid-injection thrust vector control system is limited to discussion of the injectant, valves, piping, storage tanks, and pressurization system; no evaluation is presented of the nozzle except for the effect of the injectant and erosion at the injection port and the effect of injection on pressure distribution within the nozzle. The material is organized around the major tasks in thrust vector control: configuration as related to motor requirements; design parameters controlling the response of the mechanism; material selection; system design; structural and thermal analysis; manufacturing; testing, both nondestructive and destructive; and inspection.