Fabric Engine Ventilation Covers

A&R Tarpaulins, Inc.

We were tasked to manufacture fabric engine ventilation covers to help protect critical components of a rocket during lift off.

The fabric engine cover assemblies allow air flow to escape through a ventilation system while constricting Foreign Object Damage (FOD) to enter and damage the actual rocket, its avionics, engine, the payload (satellite) and payload fairing area.

These fabric vents are manufactured using specialized silicone tubing strands that are stretched to a certain length before installation on the part. These critical strands control the massive inflow and outflow of air through the fabric vents. After manufacturing, each part is then sent to a lab and goes through stringent air-flow testing to ensure each vent can maintain specific required air flow pressure. A failure to maintain and control the proper air flow during launch will allow FOD to enter the engine of the rocket. This part is therefore considered extremely flight-critical. Each lot of fabric vents take about three to six months to manufacture. They have a shelf life of six months from the date of manufacture and are a one-time use product. Although dimensionally each part comes in at 12 inches in diameter and 8 inches in height, these fabric vents are considered one of our most valued flight-critical parts.

These fabric vents were made in-house by the client for many years. This is the first time they have outsourced this requirement to a supplier. These parts passed all inflow and outflow air pressure requirements. They have and currently are being used for flight. Testing and actual use has shown the success in this design and it is an innovative product we are proud to have manufactured.

Project details

Size: 12 inches by 12 inches by 5 inches
Fabrics: TCK 5 AS and TCK 10 by ASCS Hyde Co.