Fundamental technologies for the development of future space transport system components under high thermal and mechanical loads

Since 2008, the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding within SFB TRR 40 a multi-university research program on research and technologies for future generations of space transportation systems in more than 20 individual Ph.D. projects. Researchers from RWTH Aachen (RWTH), Technical University Braunschweig (TUBs), Technical University München (TUM), University of Armed Forces München (UniBW) and University of Stuttgart (USTUTT) cooperate with German Aerospace Center (DLR) institutes in Braunschweig (Bs), Göttingen (DLR-G), Köln (DLR-C), Stuttgart (DLR-St) and Lampoldshausen (DLR-Lam) and with Ariane.Group (AG) in Ottobrunn. The main objective of SFB TRR 40 is to increase the level of understanding of dominating phenomena in propulsion systems, to improve and develop design tools and to prepare the scientific basis for innovative technologies. The achievements of this program will provide significant gains in efficiency and reliability of future propulsion systems and as such contribute to maintain the capability for an independent European access to space. Throughout all three phases, the program kept its structure of five different research areas which cover all aspects of a thrust chamber: i.e. structure cooling, aft-body flows, combustion chamber, nozzle and thrust chamber assembly. Inter-topical activities such as graduate schools, modeling workshops or summer universities which aim at education and internationalization are combined in the central support project.