Experimental measurement of torque and force on a rotating detonation engine with six-axis force sensor

Rotating detonation Engine (RDE) is highly expected for the future propulsion systems due to its more compact structure than conventional internal combustion engines. It is because detonation waves circling in the order of km/s compress propellant instead of the mechanical complex compressor. Of interest on RDE, the torque around the z axis is important for practical use of the system. Due to the detonation waves, fluid inside the RDE produces friction on the chamber wall, which causes force and torque aside from thrust on RDE. In this study, we measured the torque by introducing the 6-axis force sensor which output the torque and axial force simultaneously. And we observed several modes, some of which were dominated positive or negative propagation duration, and others of which were contained both of propagation. From the results, we clarified the torque closely connected to the propagation of detonation waves in terms of the direction and strength. Moreover, we evaluated the effect on thrust performance of RDE. And we concluded that the contribution to RDE performance loss was effectively zero.