High Temperature Vascular Systems for Multifunctional Space Structures
Abstract
Traditional high temperature space reentry structures are designed to passively endure extreme thermal environments and diverse flow conditions. This results in structures that are limited by their maximum use temperature, thermal transport attributes, and high temperature mechanical properties. It also necessitates bulky internal thermal protection systems, which restrict payload, and conservative designs in which large areas are designed to endure through the most extreme environments. New approaches are needed to actively mitigate the extreme thermal conditions, expand the flight conditions, decrease the bulkiness of current thermal protective systems, and to expand the design flexibility of current structures. Inspired by the biological processes of homeostasis and transpirational cooling which rely upon vascular networks and surface pores, we propose to investigate the process-structure-property relationships of structurally integrated hierarchical networks of mass-transporting vascular channels and pores. We seek multifunctional structures that can mitigate extreme thermal conditions and expand structural design flexibility using continuous fiber additively printed composites with pre-ceramic polymers matrices and integrated networks of mass-transporting channels. The hierarchical networks are multifunctional in that, during the Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis (PIP) process, they can improve the egress of volatile pyrolysis products and ingress of re-infiltrating polymer to potential achieve denser structures more quickly. Then, after processing and during use, the remaining vascular network can improve internal heat exchange and heat dissipation by transpirational cooling. Transpiration can cool a hot structure by not only rejecting hot fluid, but also creating a thermally insulating aerodynamic layer that actively decreases the temperature of the structure and expands the flight envelope. Internal heat exchange can potentially decrease the volume of insulation needed. We specifically propose (1) to investigate the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of high temperature structures made using additively printing, continuous fiber, pre-ceramic polymer composites, (2) to develop methods to create structurally integrated hierarchical mass-transporting networks, (3) to assess the potential of the vascular network to achieve dense structures more quickly, and (4) to synthesize the developed understanding into an achievable high temperature structural design with active thermal management.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310669
Entities
People
- Jeffery W Baur
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign