College students at Queen’s College Belfast have developed what they describe as Eire’s first student-built liquid rocket engine. The Kelvin Mk.1, named after Belfast-born physicist Lord Kelvin, was created by the Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory (QPL) in partnership with manufacturing firm LPE. The engine’s chamber was produced utilizing metallic 3D printing expertise at LPE’s Belfast facility.
QPL, based in 2023, operates as Northern Eire’s largest pupil rocketry group. The liquid rocket engine runs on isopropyl alcohol and nitrous oxide propellants. The group plans to conduct sizzling fireplace testing in July 2025 as a part of the UK’s Race2Space nationwide propulsion competitors.
The engine chamber was manufactured utilizing Direct Metallic Laser Sintering (DMLS) in AlSi10Mg aluminum. LPE labored with the scholar group to optimize the design for 3D printing manufacturing. The element contains built-in inner cooling channels and was printed as a single piece to eradicate welded joints that might create stress factors.
“Additive manufacturing was the appropriate answer for this engine, not only for its complexity, however as a result of it enabled velocity, precision, and efficiency in a single course of,” mentioned Patrick Partitions, Engineering Director at LPE. The QPL group cited design flexibility, shorter lead occasions, and half discount as key components in selecting metallic 3D printing over conventional manufacturing strategies.
The completed chamber underwent post-processing together with depowdering, warmth therapy, and floor ending to satisfy aerospace necessities. QPL reported that chilly circulation checks confirmed constant efficiency and that the chamber’s floor end exceeded their expectations. The group will take a look at the engine at Westcott Area Cluster on July 10, 2025.
Supply: laserproto.com
