Thermal response and ablation characteristics of lightweight ceramic ablators
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States)
This paper presents the thermal performance and ablation characteristics of the newly developed lightweight ceramic ablators (LCAs) in a supersonic, high-enthalpy convective environment. Lightweight ceramic ablators were recently conceived and developed at NASA Ames using low-density ceramic or carbon fibrous matrices as substrates for main structural support and organic resins as fillers. These LCAs were successfully produced with densities ranging from approximately 0.224 to 1.282 g/cu cm. Several infiltrants with different char yields were used to study the effect on surface recession. Tests were conducted in the NASA Ames arc-jet facilities. Material thermal performance was evaluated at cold-wall heat fluxes from 113.5 to 1634 W/sq cm, and stagnation pressures of 0.018 to 0.331 atm. Conventional ablators such as SLA-561, Avcoat 5026-39HC, MA-25S, and balsa wood were tested at the same heat fluxes for direct comparison. Surface temperature was measured using optical pyrometers, and the recession rates were obtained from the high-speed films. In-depth temperature data were obtained to determine the thermal penetration depths and conductivity. Preliminary results indicated that most LCAs performed comparably to or better than conventional ablators. At low flux levels (less than 454 W/sq cm), the addition of silicon carbide and polymethyl methacrylate significantly improved the ablation performance of silica substrates. The carbon-based LCAs were the most mass-efficient at high flux levels (greater than 454 W/sq cm). 16 refs.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffett Field, CA (United States). Ames Research Center
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 57343
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 31, Issue 6; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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