Measurements of hydrodynamic forces on the impeller of the HPOTP of the SSME

Abstract

The references [1-4] provide a complete description of the facility. Briefly, the dynamometer, composed of two parallel plates connected by four strain gaged posts, is mounted between the impeller and the drive shaft. It measures the six components of a generalized hydrodynamic force vector {F} acting on the impeller. The impeller can be subject to whirling motion in an orbit eccentric to the volute center, in addition to the normal impeller rotation. Since the eccentric motion is in the lateral plane, perpendicular to the impeller centerline, only the two components of force vector {F} in this lateral will be discussed.