F-1 Test Stand Flame Deflector

This photo set documents the F-1 Test Stand's flame deflector.

As detailed in the HABS/HAER Flame Deflector Water Supply Flow Diagram, the flame deflector, also known as the "flame bucket," was used to redirect the engine's exhaust from a downward direction to a horizontal direction; during tests, flames would extend over 100 feet from the deflector's mouth.

Large amounts of water were required to prevent the deflector from melting: The deflector was constructed of 18 double-walled segments, or manifolds, each with a number of 5/32" holes drilled in the inner wall. Prior to a test-fire, 136,000 gallons of water per minute was pumped through these manifolds, where it subsequently sprayed out of the 20,072 holes lining the inside of the deflector. The number of holes in each manifold varied, with the highest concentration of holes (and thus the largest amount of cooling water being sprayed into the bucket) in the impingement area, the area directly under the engine.

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