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Replacement of Ablators with Phase-Change Material for Thermal Protection of STS ElementsAs part of the research and development program to develop new Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials for aerospace applications at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), an experimental study was conducted on a new concept for a non-ablative TPS material. Potential loss of TPS material and ablation by-products from the External Tank (ET) or Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) during Shuttle flight with the related Orbiter tile damage necessitates development of a non-ablative thermal protection system. The new Thermal Management Coating (TMC) consists of phase-change material encapsulated in micro spheres and a two-part resin system to adhere the coating to the structure material. The TMC uses a phase-change material to dissipate the heat produced during supersonic flight rather than an ablative material. This new material absorbs energy as it goes through a phase change during the heating portion of the flight profile and then the energy is slowly released as the phase-change material cools and returns to its solid state inside the micro spheres. The coating was subjected to different test conditions simulating design flight environments at the NASA/MSFC Improved Hot Gas Facility (IHGF) to study its performance.
Document ID
20030001121
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kaul, Raj K.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Stuckey, Irvin
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Munafo, Paul M.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Meeting Information
Meeting: The Aerospace Materials, Processes, and Environmental Technology Conference (AMPET)
Location: Huntsville, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: September 16, 2002
End Date: September 18, 2002
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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