Thermoacoustic fatigue testing facility for space shuttle thermal protection system

The development of a reusable space shuttle by NASA in the next decade depends in part on the design of a satisfactory thermal protection system (TPS). The booster and orbiter parts of the shuttle require TPS panels which will withstand thermoacoustic fatigue. The Langley Research Center has begun tests on early panel designs in a new acoustic fatigue facility which is capable of simulating the combined elevated temperature and acoustic environments which these panels are expected to experience. The capabilities of the facility and computer system are outlined, and problems encountered in establishing the test methods are discussed. Tests of a Haynes 25 TPS panel are described, and representative data from tests of the panel at 650 C are included.