Graduate Student Seminar
March 29, 2024
10:00 a.m. ET
Doherty Hall 2210
Burn-resistant materials for oxygen-rich turbopumps
High-performance reusable rocket engines are essential to proposed low-cost heavy lift launch vehicles that will enable next generation launch economics. Current development efforts are focused on oxidizer-rich and full-flow staged combustion engines, which offer advantages in fuel efficiency. However, these engines subject materials to extreme operating conditions, involving cryogenic temperatures, extreme temperature swings, high heat fluxes, and ultra-high-pressure oxygen. These conditions give rise to a host of catastrophic failure modes, from oxidation-assisted fatigue to strain-ratcheting induced rupture to metal fires. The success of these new reusable propulsion systems thus depends on advances in the processing, design, and application of robust materials specifically tailored to withstand such extreme environments. In this talk, I will share initial insights from our investigation into the underlying mechanisms of frictional ignition, one of the failure modes of greatest concern in oxidizer-rich turbopumps and the root cause of several recent launch failures (Sea Launch’s NSS-8 and Orbital’s Orb-3). We have assessed the role of oxide tribolayer breakdown in frictional ignition using high-speed sliding experiments, post-mortem characterization of recovered specimens, continuum mechanics modeling of sliding contacts, and thermochemical calculations of the structure and stability of oxide tribolayers. Our results reveal why certain superalloys are intrinsically resistant ignition, suggesting approaches to alloy design for the high-pressure oxygen environments in ox-rich turbines.
Zack Cordero, Edgerton Career Development Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT
Zack Cordero is the Edgerton Career Development Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT where he leads the Aerospace Materials and Structures Laboratory. He received an BS in physics and a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT. Prior to joining the MIT faculty, Zack held appointments as a postdoctoral fellow in the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and as an assistant professor in the Materials Science and NanoEngineering department at Rice University. Zack’s research at MIT integrates materials processing, mechanics of materials, and structural design to develop new materials and structures for launch vehicles and spacecraft.
Upcoming Events
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November 4 2025
7:00 AM ET
US locations
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November 4 2025
9:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
M.S. Program Information Session
Join us online to learn more about becoming part of the graduate student community through our master's degree programs.
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"Behind the Scenes with an ACS Editor: Insights into Scholarly Publishing and Manuscript Preparation,” presented by Dr. Raymond Schaak
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November 13 2025
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM ET
Roberts Engineering Hall, Singleton Room, 4th floor