ISO/FDIS 17540

ISO/TC 20/SC 14
Secretariat: ANSI
Date: 2025-18-0406-23
Space systems — Liquid rocket engines and test stands — Vocabulary
FDIS stage
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Contents
Foreword . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General. 1
3.2 Major engine units . 2
3.3 Engine types based on the cycle configuration . 2
3.4 Engine types by reusability and multiple-firing capability . 2
3.5 Engine types by purpose . 3
3.6 Thrusters types based on the cycle configuration . 3
3.7 Basic parameters and performance characteristics of the engine . 4
3.8 Engine time characteristics, types of operating time and operating life . 8
3.9 Thruster performance characteristics . 9
3.10 Engine operating modes . 11
3.11 Operating modes of liquid-fuelled thruster . 11
3.12 Components of the combustion chamber and gas generator . 12
3.13 Engine nozzle types . 13
3.14 Nozzle components . 14
3.15 Nozzle characteristics . 15
3.16 Nozzle operating modes . 16
3.17 Nozzle flows . 16
3.18 Turbopump: components . 17
3.19 Pump characteristics . 17
3.20 Turbopump performance characteristics . 18
3.21 Engine control devices . 19
3.22 Devices and methods to create the engine steering efforts . 19
3.23 Engine cooling . 20
3.24 Engine thermal protection . 20
3.25 Engine test: general . 21
3.26 Engine test types: thermal loads . 21
3.27 Engine test types: by connection with the vehicle being moved . 21
3.28 Engine test types: by test site . 21
3.29 Engine test types: by organizational factor and test site . 22
3.30 Engine test types: by test conditions. 22
3.31 Engine test types: by accelerated data acquisition . 22
3.32 Engine test types: by test purpose . 22
3.33 Types of tests, specific for thrusters . 23
3.34 Engine test procedures . 23
3.35 Engine test conditions . 24
3.36 Test results . 25
3.37 Engine reliability . 25
3.38 Engine defects . 25
3.39 Engine failure modes . 26
3.40 Engine operation . 26
3.41 Engine health analysis. 27
3.42 Engine reliability factors . 27
3.43 Engine quality control . 27
3.44 Structural and functional analysis of the engine reliability . 28
3.45 Test stands: general . 28
3.46 Test stand types . 29
iii
3.47 Stand systems . 29
3.48 Post-test processing systems . 31
3.49 Stand systems devices and components . 31
3.50 Stand room . 33
Index 34
iv
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles, Subcommittee SC 14,
Space systems and operations.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 17540:2016), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— — several terms are revised, including "rocket engine", "liquid rocket propulsion system", "high-altitude
firing test", etc.;
— — redundant terms are deleted.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
v
Space systems — Liquid rocket engines and test stands — Vocabulary
1 Scope
This document provides terms and definitions for design, tests, reliability analysis and quality control of liquid
rocket engines. The terms can be used in all types of documentation and subject-matter literature, related to
standardization or use of the results of field-specific works.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— — ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— — IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1 General
3.1.1 3.1.1
rocket engine
RE
reaction engine that contains within itself, or carry along with itself, all the substances necessary for its
operation or for the consumption or combustion of its fuel, not requiring any outside substance
3.1.2 3.1.2
liquid rocket engine
LRE
rocket engine (3.1.1(3.1.1)) which uses liquid propellant
3.1.3 3.1.3
liquid-fuelled thruster
LFT
liquid-propellant propulsion device which is used as an actuator in launch vehicles, spacecraft and descent
vehicle control systems for acceleration, attitude control, stabilization, trajectory correction, rendezvous,
docking, braking, descent, landing and other manoeuvring operations, as well as for generating gravity by
imparting acceleration
3.1.4 3.1.4
liquid rocket propulsion system
LRPS
system consisting of LRE (3.1.2(3.1.2),), propellant tanks, propellant (propellants) feeding system, thrust
vector control system and engine control system
3.1.5 3.1.5
clustered liquid rocket propulsion system
CLRPS
liquid rocket propulsion system (3.1.4(3.1.4)) consisting of rocket engines of various applications, which are
fed from common propellant tanks, but have autonomous (independent) propellant feed systems
3.1.6 3.1.6
pressure-fed system
system in which propellants are supplied to the chamber (3.2.1(3.2.1)) by their expulsion from propellant
tanks
3.1.7 3.1.7
pump-fed system
system in which propellants are supplied from the tanks to the chamber (3.2.1(3.2.1)) by pumps driven by a
turbine, which together form the turbopump unit
3.2 Major engine units
3.2.1 3.2.1
thrust chamber
chamber
engine unit where the liquid propellants are metered, injected, atomized, mixed, and burned to form hot,
gaseous reaction products, which in turn are acceler
...