Review of flaws and damages in space launch vehicle: Structures

Abstract

A space launch vehicle is a complex engineering structure. It consists of several structural and system components that are stably stored for extended periods and that at the launch moment, must function precisely. However, this presents a number of unique challenges as well as the possibility of various flaws and damages during the manufacturing, assembly, or ground handling phase. Mechanical and chemical complexity, long service lives, aging materials, and designs with small margins are typical of space launch vehicle components. The performance and characteristics of the components can be significantly affected by degradation resulting from such flaws and damages, and this degradation in turn might lead to failure of the entire space mission. Damage detection at the earliest possible stage enables implementation of possible preventive measures, and evaluation of component reliability and readiness either at the manufacturing level or during field inspections. This review study lists such possible flaws/damages for various space launch vehicle components. This information could be beneficial for determining and developing reliable nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques.