Project

DISCO 2030

Multi-material components on the test bench

How can different materials be combined so that large yet lightweight components and structures for rocket engines, ship engines and hydrogen tanks can be manufactured? A consortium of research institutes and industry is working on this question.

Combining DISsimilar materials into functional large-scale and lightweight COmponents and structures (DISCO 2023)

 

Duration

2022 – 2025

Field of applications

  • Development and demonstration of two novel hybrid manufacturing processes up to technology maturity level six for joining different metal-metal and metal-polymer materials

Funding

The DISCO 2030 project is part of the European Commission's "Horizon Europe" innovation funding program. The DLR Institute has around €800,000 at its disposal for the activities.

The DISCO 2030 project (combining DISsimilar materials into functional large-scale and lightweight COmponents and structures) aims to develop and demonstrate two new hybrid manufacturing processes up to technology maturity level six for joining different metal-metal and metal-polymer materials in order to produce lightweight multifunctional components with complex geometries. In the future, these will be used in demanding environments such as ship engines, hydrogen tanks and rocket engines.

An industrial project participant is designing 3D-printed rocket combustion chambers made from multi-material components. DLR researchers are conducting CFD analyses on the DLR's CARA supercomputer in order to better understand the relationships between pressure, temperature, resulting losses and efficiency during operation. These research results are then incorporated into the design and production of a research combustion chamber, which is then intensively tested on the P8 research and technology test bench at the DLR site in Lampoldshausen. The focus will be on tests on ignition, combustion instability, cooling of the rocket combustion chamber and material fatigue in order to determine the service life.

News

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Research and Test Infrastructure

Research and Test Infrastructure

Research and Technology Test Bench P8

The P8 research and technology test bench enables the testing and development of individual engine components through to entire propulsion systems with a wide range of available media.

Research and Test Infrastructure

CARA

The large-scale CARA (Computer for Advanced Research in Aerospace) facility is used to carry out numerical simulations.

Contact

Dr. Justin Hardi

Head of Department
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Space Propulsion
Rocket Propulsion Technology
Im Langen Grund, 74239 Hardthausen
Germany