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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Optimization, Test and Diagnostics of Miniaturized Hall Thrusters
Published on: February 16, 2019
Near-field vector intensity measurements of a small solid rocket motor
Kent L Gee1, Jarom H Giraud, Jonathan D Blotter
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. kentgee@byu.edu
Abstract:
Near-field vector intensity measurements have been made of a 12.7-cm diameter nozzle solid rocket motor. The measurements utilized a test rig comprised of four probes each with four low-sensitivity 6.35-mm pressure microphones in a tetrahedral arrangement. Measurements were made with the rig at nine positions (36 probe locations) within six nozzle diameters of the plume shear layer. Overall levels at these locations range from 135 to 157 dB re 20 microPa. Vector intensity maps reveal that, as frequency increases, the dominant source region contracts and moves upstream with peak directivity at greater angles from the plume axis.
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