Carbon Oxidation in Extreme Environments
Abstract
Hypersonic aircrafts must be protected from the extremely high temperatures of the gas impinging their surface. This is achieve by using Thermal Protection Systems (TPS), which typically consist of a thin coating layer made of a very resistant material that stands well these high temperatures. One of the most versatile materials used for this purpose is carbon, in some of its many possible forms, such as graphite, glassy or amorphous. However, in the presence of high temperature oxygen, as is the case during flight, the carbon layer of the TPS degrades and the solid carbon become gaseous CO and CO2. As a result, the protective layer may eventually disappear, leaving the vehicle without protection. Thus, a good understanding of its behavior under these conditions is very important to improve the safety of hypersonic flights. The guiding idea of this project is to study carbon oxidation in these extreme conditions, from a fundamental point of view. This will be achieved by examining the details of the atomic-scale processes that ultimately govern the loss of carbon from the TPS. After hitting the surface, oxygen atoms remain wandering across the TPS surface until they connect to weakly attached carbon atoms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 05, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1231094
Entities
People
- Alexandre Martin
Organizations
- University of Kentucky