Ariane 6 – Similarities between a carrier rocket and the airtight building envelope

Content of the contribution
Air permeability measurements of buildings have become an acknowledged and established procedure that is now used in other areas as well, such as in rocket engineering. While developing the upper stage of the Ariane 6 rocket in Bremen, engineers have been searching for an easy and reproducible method to measure the airflow through pipe penetrations in a membrane – which is quite similar to airtightness measurements for the building envelope. The Ariane 6 carrier rocket is a purely civilian, European cooperation project. It can deploy all kinds of different types of satellites and spacecrafts into orbit. A custom-built test chamber was used to test sample foils with and without pipe penetrations in order to find out whether the BlowerDoor measuring method was fit for purpose. The expected or permissible measuring range for the volume flow ranges from 100 to 1500 m³ / h at a test pressure of 10 to 60 Pa which is the same as for the subsequent measurement of the upper stage. The BlowerDoor MiniFan thus easily covers this range. The MLM, the Micro Leakage Meter, with a measuring range of less than 1 m³ / h, was used to check the test chamber for leakages.
This presentation describes the experiences and insights gained from testing the sample foils and highlights parallels to building envelope leaks.

For further information please contact Stefanie Rolfsmeier at: rolfsmeier@blowerdoor.de