Astronomy & Space Sciences

During the lift-off of launch vehicle, ground structure and the components of the launch vehicle are subjected to intense vibration loads generated during lift-off. The high-speed plume jets from rocket exhaust consists of several noise-producing components, notably turbulent mixing noise, broadband impact noise, and screeching tones, which greatly impact the vehicle's structural integrity. The base plate and the jet deflector are the main components of the launch pad, which remain in direct contact with the plumes. Each of these noise components has a different dominant frequency band. The structural members exposed to random loads may fail due to fatigue. In view of the ground structures on the launch pad, the issue of fatigue damage becomes more severe. Since monitoring of these structures are essential to the safe launch of a rocket, the correct evaluation of fatigue damage is being studied as part of this project.