Fondu fyre
Fondu Fyre, sometimes called Fondue Fyre, is a refractory concrete developed for specialist application. Fondu Fyre is a heat and erosion resistant concrete developed during the Apollo space program. It was developed to withstand the supersonic plume of a rocket engine during launch and hot-fire tests [citation needed].
Allied Mineral Products based in Ohio holds the registered trademark on the name Fondu Fyre.[1]
Uses[edit]
The concrete is used in 2 different mixtures called WA-1 and XB-1. The XB-1 is used as a more fire and erosion resistant layer for covering WA-1 in areas which are directly exposed to the exhaust flame of a rocket engine. The concrete is used on the launch pads of the Kennedy Space Center on the flame deflectors.
Damage[edit]
Fondue Fyre was used to repair the damage done on May 31, 2008 to launchpad 39A during the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-124.[2] After subsequent launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-125 on May 11, 2009 a 25 square metre section of the Fondue Fyre on pad 39A was found to have been damaged by exhaust from the Solid Rocket Booster.
References[edit]
- ^ "Fondu Fyre". Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "NASA - Spray-on Layer to Protect Flame Trench". NASA. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- Design handbook for protection of launch complexes from solid propellant exhaust - march 1966 - NASA -Dead Link
- Refractory Materials for Flame Deflector Protection System Corrosion Control: Similar Industries and/or Launch Facilities Survey - January 2009 - NASA