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Application of Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy to Heat and Mass Transport Modeling in Porous MicrostructuresLaser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) has been used to obtain digital images of the complicated 3-D (three-dimensional) microstructures of rigid, fibrous thermal protection system (TPS) materials. These orthotropic materials are comprised of refractory ceramic fibers with diameters in the range of 1 to 10 microns and have open porosities of 0.8 or more. Algorithms are being constructed to extract quantitative microstructural information from the digital data so that it may be applied to specific heat and mass transport modeling efforts; such information includes, for example, the solid and pore volume fractions, the internal surface area per volume, fiber diameter distributions, and fiber orientation distributions. This type of information is difficult to obtain in general, yet it is directly relevant to many computational efforts which seek to model macroscopic thermophysical phenomena in terms of microscopic mechanisms or interactions. Two such computational efforts for fibrous TPS materials are: i) the calculation of radiative transport properties; ii) the modeling of gas permeabilities.
Document ID
20020048317
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Marshall, Jochen
(Thermoscience Inst. Moffett Field, CA United States)
Milos, Frank
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Fredrich, Joanne
(Sandia National Labs. Albuquerque, NM United States)
Rasky, Daniel J.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1997
Subject Category
Fluid Mechanics And Thermodynamics
Meeting Information
Meeting: Tech. Workshop for Thermophysics, Phenomena in Microscale Sensors, Devices, and Structures
Location: Baltimore, MD
Country: United States
Start Date: August 9, 1997
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 274-52-71
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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