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ARIS (Academic Space Initiative Switzerland) has completed the development of its PEGASUS Gen1 rotating detonation engine (RDE), designed to achieve 1 kN of thrust with detonation ...
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ARIS (Academic Space Initiative Switzerland) has completed the development of its PEGASUS Gen1 rotating detonation engine (RDE), designed to achieve 1 kN of thrust with detonation ...

Originally reported by VoxelMatters

ARIS (Academic Space Initiative Switzerland) has completed the development of its PEGASUS Gen1 rotating detonation engine (RDE), designed to achieve 1 kN of thrust with detonation frequencies reaching 20,000 cycles per second. The team produced two variants: the Gen1-C, which utilizes active water cooling, and the Gen1-U, an uncooled version. The Gen1-C engine was manufactured using a copper-nickel-silicon alloy via laser powder bed fusion, supported by partners Feramic AG, LEUKA GmbH, and Schmelzmetall. Cold flow testing is currently underway in Switzerland, with the first firing tests scheduled to follow the completion of these initial validation phases.

Rotating detonation engines represent a complex evolution in propulsion, offering potential efficiency gains over traditional constant-pressure combustion systems. By utilizing additive manufacturing to create intricate internal cooling channels and complex geometries in high-conductivity copper alloys, ARIS is addressing the extreme thermal management challenges inherent in detonation-based combustion. This development builds upon the team's previous experience with Inconel 718 propulsion components, positioning them within the niche but growing sector of student-led aerospace research that leverages industrial-grade AM processes to prototype high-performance hardware.

The successful integration of copper-nickel-silicon alloys into a high-cycle detonation environment validates the utility of specialized metal AM for rapid propulsion prototyping. The team must now demonstrate structural integrity during live firing tests to confirm that the printed cooling channels can withstand the high-frequency pressure oscillations of the RDE. For industrial stakeholders, this project serves as a practical case study in material selection and post-processing requirements for complex, thermally-stressed aerospace components.

Topics

ARISrotating detonation enginelaser powder bed fusioncopper-nickel-siliconaerospacepropulsionSwitzerlandadditive manufacturing
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    ARIS (Academic Space Initiative Switzerland) has completed the development of its PEGASUS Gen1 rotating detonation engine (RDE), designed to achieve 1 kN of thrust with detonation ...