TPS Certification by Analysis: Model-Driven Characterization of Properties and Failure in Woven Thermal Protection Systems

Woven, ablative thermal protection system (TPS) materials provide a robust option for aggressive
(re)entries and thus have been baselined for the upcoming Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission’s Earth
Entry System (EES). The reliability requirements for MSR-EES necessitate understanding of material
property variability, which could be significant given the complex structure and anisotropic nature of
properties in TPS weaves, as well as the response to potential impact with micrometeoroids or orbital
debris during the EES re-entry. The TPS Certification by Analysis effort within the Entry Systems
Modeling project seeks to provide computational models and analyses that support the certification
against such material-based risks. For the present talk, focus will be given to the characterization of
baseline woven TPS material properties and mechanical failure limits, which entails (1) use of
computational techniques (e.g., machine learning) to interpret computed tomography images of the
weave to generate representative structural models and (2) application of multiscale material modeling
approaches to characterize thermomechanical and failure properties.