Development and Evaluation of Coating for an Unfurlable Re-Entry Vehicle
Abstract
The advance of missile and astronautic technology to the present state-of-the-art has introduced new and unique fields for the engineer. To assure the most efficient use of the limited volume and payload capabilities of the present generation booster in establishing orbital flight for large vehicles, a flexible or expandable structure which can be unfurled when orbital trajectory is attained offers the greatest present potential. This type of structure can be completely assembled on the ground, packaged to a minimum symmetrical size compatible with the booster last stage diameter, easily transported to the launch site, installed on the missile, and automatically deployed into the space environment upon achieving the desired orbital position. This flexible structure approach developed by GAC entails the use of either internal pressure or mechanically stabilized fabric. Once orbital flight has been accomplished, the next step requires that instrumentation and personnel must be returned from active space vehicles. Using the expandable structure approach, a lightweight vehicle can be adapted to this purpose and the temperature encountered by this re-entering vehicle can be limited to the order of 1500 degrees. In general, the basic structure of the re-entry vehicle would be a woven material. Since this material is porous to some degree, a coating is required which will act as a gas barrier when the structure is pressure stabilized, or as an airflow barrier when the skin is mechanically stabilized. This coating must withstand aerodynamic shear forces, maintain its integrity at 1500 degrees F, and be extremely flexible prior to exposure to maximum temperature. In addition, the coating must be compatible with the basic material of the cloth and the cloth construction. Presented in this paper is a discussion of the approach to the development of such a coating, a description of the tests and test procedure used to evaluate the coating, and some of the test results.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1960
- Accession Number
- ADA447680
Entities
Organizations
- Goodyear Aerospace