Pusher Plate Ablation Study.
Abstract
Results of a combined experimental and analytical investigation are reported, aimed at gaining insight into ablation phenomena caused by the impact of a short-pulsed high-energy plasma on the pusher plate of a space vehicle propelled by thermonuclear reactions. Ablation losses of aluminum, polyethylene, phenolic, and grease, caused by impacting high-speed neon from a coaxial plasma gun were measured. Gas velocities were as high as 16 million cm/s and surface pressures reached 2.8 kbar. Corresponding ablation losses ranged from approximately 2 mg/sq cm for polyethylene to as much as approximately 28 mg/sq cm for aluminum. Calculations indicate that even much higher energy pulses would not cause ablation severe enough to significantly degrade the performance of a pulsed-propulsion space vehicle. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0907752
Entities
People
- Albert W. Blackstock
- Charles A. Bankston
- J. Douglas Balcomb
- James C. Hedstrom
Organizations
- Los Alamos National Laboratory