Ceramic matrix composites - Forerunners of technological breakthrough in space vehicle hot structures and thermal protection system

Author(s):  
ALAIN LACOMBE ◽  
JEAN-MICHEL ROUGES
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCA ZOLI ◽  
DILETTA SCITI

High-speed aviation brings many challenges, one being the materials used ensure the aircraft and rockets travelling at hypersonic speed arrive at their destination safely. Control surfaces and thermal protection systems for vehicles flying at Mach 5 or above must withstand extremely hot temperatures and intense mechanical vibrations at launch, during cruising and re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. UHTCMCs (Ultra-High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites) belong to a new subclass of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) with superior properties in terms of structural and chemical stability at elevated temperature and erosion/ablation resistance keeping excellent strength-to-weight ratio, thermal shock resistance and adequate damage tolerance. They are the latest potential candidates for thermal protection systems (TPSs), able to outperform bulk ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). C3HARME is a 4-years EU funded program involving 12 European partners from 6 countries focused on the design, fabrication and testing of UHTCMCs for nearzero erosion nozzles and near-zero ablation TPS tiles. C3harme will look at different technologies coming from the science of bulk ceramics and CMCs and combine them to find out new approaches for their manufacturing. Novel theoretical models and testing methodologies are necessary to characterize properly these materials. This talk will summarize some of the findings and advances of the program, with special emphasis on the innovative approaches that we have implemented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 912-914 ◽  
pp. 427-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Yong Chen ◽  
Hai Bo Chen

Metallic thermal protection system (MTPS) is a key component in space vehicle design. By introducing thermal contact resistance (TCR) on the interface between different layers of MTPS, an one dimensional (1D) thermal conduction model for MTPS with multiple functions is established for thermal design. An optimization method is proposed to determine the thermal parameter by comparing the results of 1D finite differential simulation with the test ones. The thermal mode is analyzed by three dimensional FEM analysis and the results show that the mechanical characteristics of MTPS appear to be asymmetric which provides a new consideration to insulate the fluctuating load.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Boehrk ◽  
Hendrik Weihs ◽  
Henning Elsäßer

The second sharp-edged flight experiment is a faceted suborbital reentry body that enables low-cost in-flight reentry research. Its faceted thermal protection system consisting of only flat radiation-cooled thermal protection panels is cost-efficient since it saves dies, manpower, and storage. The ceramic sharp leading edge has a 1 mm nose radius in order to achieve good aerodynamic behaviour of the vehicle. The maximum temperature measured during flight was 867°C just before transmission ended and was predicted with an accuracy of the order of 10%. The acreage thermal protection system is set up by 3 mm fiber-reinforced ceramic panels isolated by a 27 mm alumina felt from the substructure. The panel gaps are sealed by a ceramic seal. Part of the thermal protection system is an additional transpiration-cooling experiment in which nitrogen is exhausted through a permeable ceramic matrix composite to form a coolant film on the panel. The efficiencies at the maximum heat flux are 58% on the porous sample and 42% and 30% downstream of the sample in the wake. The transient load at each panel location is derived from the trajectory by oblique shock equations and subsequent use of a heat balance for both cooled and uncooled structures. The comparison to the heat balance HEATS reveals heat sinks in the attachment system while the concurrence with the measurement is good with only 8% deviation for the acreage thermal protection system. Aerodynamic control surfaces, i.e., canards, have been designed and made from a hybrid titanium and ceramic matrix composite structure.


2013 ◽  
Vol 753-755 ◽  
pp. 1467-1476
Author(s):  
Xiao Bo Peng

Nowadays, reusable launch vehicle (RLV) has become a research focus of the transportation system between ground and space and the space weapon system. RLV plays an important role in controlling the cost of space transportation and performing the orbital mission. Since RLV would suffer from the aerodynamic heating inevitably during reentry, the thermal protection system (TPS) is designed to prevent too much heat transmitting to the vehicle structure and maintain the vehicle structure below a specified temperature limit. Several studies were performed to develop an understanding of not only the thermal and structural analysis of ceramic tile thermal protection system on the space shuttle but also the controlling factors of TPS. The TPS is subjected to the reentry heating and pressure profile of the Access to Space vehicle, and the transient temperature distribution and the resultant thermal stresses in the system are computed. Comparisons between various studies based on different assumptions were examined. By comparing these results with more realistic ones, the differences are evaluated. Results suggest that the TPS analysis must be based on reasonable and realistic parameters. Thus, engineers have to keep in mind that all parameters should be chosen very carefully to achieve results that close to practical ones.


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