Chinese researchers have successfully tested a hypersonic ramjet engine capable of changing shape during flight.
Researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Beijing Power Machinery Institute completed the ground test. They used a graphite seal to overcome a long-standing engineering challenge.
The engine’s combustion chamber throat, a moving metal component, adjusted itself in one third of a second while handling gases at 1,650 degrees Celsius.
A paper detailing the work was published in the Journal of Propulsion Technology on May 28. The graphite seal is the same material the US defence industry needs.
