| The work detailed herein describes the methodology used in the estimation of uncertainties associated with ground testing of a liquid rocket engine and discusses the results of the uncertainty analysis. The primary products of this effort include uncertainty estimates for single tests, multiple tests on the same engine, and multiple engines at the same facility. The analysis focused on the uncertainties associated with the rocket performance parameters of thrust, vacuum thrust, specific impulse, and vacuum specific impulse.; The uncertainty estimates in this investigation were found to be dominated by the random uncertainty due to the unsteady nature of the "steady-state" process under investigation. It was also found that correlated random uncertainty had an influence on the total uncertainty. While traditionally ignored in uncertainty analysis, in the current study the correlated random uncertainty effect increased uncertainties for thrust and vacuum thrust, and decreased the uncertainties for specific impulse and vacuum specific impulse.; The uncertainties for the rocket parameters of interest were found to vary between 0.42% to 1.96% of the average value, the uncertainty of test mean values were found to vary between 0.1% and 0.5% of the average value. |
