SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Ablators”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2012

Effect of Non-Equilibrium Surface Thermochemistry in Simulation of Carbon Based Ablators

This study demonstrates that coupling of a material thermal response code and a flow solver using non-equilibrium gas/surface interaction model provides time-accurate solutions for the multidimensional ablation of carbon based charring ablators. The material thermal response code used in this study is the Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal-response and AblatioN Program (TITAN), which predicts charring material thermal response and shape change on hypersonic space vehicles. Its governing equations include total energy balance, pyrolysis gas mass conservation, and a three-component decomposition model. The flow code solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations using Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) method. Loose coupling between the material response and flow codes is performed by solving the surface mass balance in DPLR and the surface energy balance in TITAN. Thus, the material surface recession is predicted by finite-rate gas/surface interaction boundary conditions implemented in DPLR, and the surface temperature and pyrolysis gas injection rate are computed in TITAN. Two sets of nonequilibrium gas/surface interaction chemistry between air and the carbon surface developed by Park and Zhluktov, respectively, are studied. Coupled fluid-material response analyses of stagnation tests conducted in NASA Ames Research Center arc-jet facilities are considered. The ablating material used in these arc-jet tests was Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA). Computational predictions of in-depth material thermal response and surface recession are compared with the experimental measurements for stagnation cold wall heat flux ranging from 107 to 1100 Watts per square centimeter.

Chen, Yih-Kanq↗

NASA NTRS2013

Fracture in Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

This paper describes the development of a novel technique to understand the failure mechanisms inside thermal protection materials. The focus of this research is on the class of materials known as phenolic impregnated carbon ablators. It has successfully flown on the Stardust spacecraft and is the thermal protection system material chosen for the Mars Science Laboratory and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Although it has good thermal properties, structurally, it is a weak material. To understand failure mechanisms in carbon ablators, fracture tests were performed on FiberForm(Registered TradeMark) (precursor), virgin, and charred ablator materials. Several samples of these materials were tested to investigate failure mechanisms at a microstructural scale. Stress-strain data were obtained simultaneously to estimate the tensile strength and toughness. It was observed that cracks initiated and grew in the FiberForm when a critical stress limit was reached such that the carbon fibers separated from the binder. However, both for virgin and charred carbon ablators, crack initiation and growth occurred in the matrix (phenolic) phase. Both virgin and charred carbon ablators showed greater strength values compared with FiberForm samples, confirming that the presence of the porous matrix helps in absorbing the fracture energy.

Agrawal, Parul↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of Ablation Modeling at NASA

The ambitious scientific payload and crew delivery goals of imminent and future NASA missions are associated with challenging and complex vehicle entries. Advanced ablative Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials will be required for such missions, and, as such, a robust ablation modeling capability is critical to assessing performance by bridging the wide gap between ground testing and entry conditions. The traditional ablation modeling toolset - continuum thermal/materials response analysis - has grown recently to include high-fidelity, multi-scale, and multi-physics techniques that provide a more complete description of the rich physics and chemistry of ablation to better drive down risks related to extreme entries. The present talk provides a snapshot of ongoing NASA activities in ablation modeling, including a review of the current technical capabilities and tools at play within the Agency, the important role academia plays in supporting technical area advancements, and how such internal and external investments intersect with upcoming missions to drive down risks.

TPS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of Ablation Modeling at NASA

The ambitious scientific payload and crew delivery goals of imminent and future NASA missions are associated with challenging and complex vehicle entries. Advanced ablative Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials will be re- quired for such missions, and, as such, a robust ablation modeling capability is critical to assessing performance by bridging the wide gap between ground testing and entry conditions. The traditional ablation modeling toolset - contin- uum thermal/materials response analysis - has grown recently to include high-fidelity, multi-scale, and multi-physics techniques that provide a more complete description of the rich physics and chemistry of ablation to better drive down risks related to extreme entries. The present talk provides a snapshot of ongoing NASA activities in ablation mod- eling, including a review of the current technical capabilities and tools at play within the Agency, the important role academia plays in supporting technical area advancements, and how such internal and external investments intersect with upcoming missions to drive down risks.

Justin Haskins↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessment of Pioneer Venus Entry Heating with Coupled Radiation and Ablation

The objective of this work is to reconstruct thermocouple temperature measurements taken at the stagnation point of the Pioneer Venus large probe using uncoupled and coupled ablation calculations. The time history of the large probe forebody entry heating was obtained from a trajectory-based analysis that employed a material response solver to model equilibrium and nonequilibrium ablation chemistry at the surface. In the uncoupled approach, equilibrium ablation chemistry was assumed in the material response calculations, but the material response outputs were not returned to the flowfield solver. Therefore, the effects of char and pyrolysis gas injection into the boundary layer due to ablation (e.g., convective blockage and radiative energy absorption) did not influence the flowfield solutions. In the coupled approach, nonequilibrium ablation chemistry was performed and the material response outputs were returned to the flowfield solver. Therefore, the effects of char and pyrolysis gas injection into the boundary layer were accounted for in the flowfield solutions. Both uncoupled and coupled approaches produced reconstructed temperatures that were within 10% of the flight measurements through the entry heat pulse, with the coupled results comparing more favorably with the measurements. Overall, the reconstructed thermocouple temperatures in this work significantly improved on the results of previous reconstructions for the large probe.

Jannuel V V Cabrera↗

DOE OSTI2025

High Energy Density Physics of Inertial Confinement Fusion Ablator Materials

The historic December 5, 2022 experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) reached fusion energy ignition for the first time. This is the most important scientific breakthrough of the 21st century paves the way to future clean inertial fusion energy (IFE). The diamond (high density carbon (HDC)) ablator material used in this experiment displays detrimental effects due to the development of hydrodynamic instabilities at the diamond/fuel interface under shock compression. New alternatives to diamond ablators are required to step up the energy yield in ICF experiments. The unique combination of mechanical strength (approaching that of diamond), the ability to accommodate high-Z dopants (in contrast to diamond), and the tunability of the properties (through synthesis material with varying sp 3 content) make amorphous carbon (a-C) a promising material for next-generation IFE ablative capsules. However, despite its critical importance to the IFE program, the behavior of a-C carbon at extreme temperatures and pressures remains largely unexplored. The primary goals of this project were to perform groundbreaking dynamic compression experiments and predictive simulations to uncover the fundamental high-energy-density physics of amorphous carbon. Our goals were (1) to uncover the metastability range of amorphous carbon and probe phase transitions to diamond or metastable supercooled liquid carbon; (2) to acquire high-quality equation of state (EOS) data and develop an experimentally validated EOS from machine-learning MD simulations of the complex states of carbon; and (3) to uncover the complex behavior of carbon liquid in both thermodynamically stable and metastable supercooled states by accessing large areas of carbon phase diagram with amorphous samples with variable sp 3 content. Our proposed experimental program included measurements of equation of state and diffraction measurements using the Omega EP laser at the Laboratory of Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester. The theoretical/simulation program involved the development of machine-learning models of the complex response of amorphous carbon under dynamic compression by performing molecular dynamics simulations at experimental time and length scales using leadership class DOE supercomputers. Simulations guided experiments to observe predicted phenomena and acquire critical experimental data in specific pressure-temperature domains to validate theoretical models. This research delivered fundamental properties of novel amorphous carbon IFE ablator material, including phase diagram and EOS. These results will aid in IFE target design and implosion experiments. A unique combination of predictive simulations and dynamic and static experiments provided a highly inspirational intellectual environment for graduate students and postdocs involved in this project.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2013

Implicit Coupling Approach for Simulation of Charring Carbon Ablators

This study demonstrates that coupling of a material thermal response code and a flow solver with nonequilibrium gas/surface interaction for simulation of charring carbon ablators can be performed using an implicit approach. The material thermal response code used in this study is the three-dimensional version of Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal response program, which predicts charring material thermal response and shape change on hypersonic space vehicles. The flow code solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations using Data Parallel Line Relaxation method. Coupling between the material response and flow codes is performed by solving the surface mass balance in flow solver and the surface energy balance in material response code. Thus, the material surface recession is predicted in flow code, and the surface temperature and pyrolysis gas injection rate are computed in material response code. It is demonstrated that the time-lagged explicit approach is sufficient for simulations at low surface heating conditions, in which the surface ablation rate is not a strong function of the surface temperature. At elevated surface heating conditions, the implicit approach has to be taken, because the carbon ablation rate becomes a stiff function of the surface temperature, and thus the explicit approach appears to be inappropriate resulting in severe numerical oscillations of predicted surface temperature. Implicit coupling for simulation of arc-jet models is performed, and the predictions are compared with measured data. Implicit coupling for trajectory based simulation of Stardust fore-body heat shield is also conducted. The predicted stagnation point total recession is compared with that predicted using the chemical equilibrium surface assumption

Ablation↗

NASA NTRS2015

Evaluation of Finite-Rate Gas/Surface Interaction Models for a Carbon Based Ablator

Two sets of finite-rate gas-surface interaction model between air and the carbon surface are studied. The first set is an engineering model with one-way chemical reactions, and the second set is a more detailed model with two-way chemical reactions. These two proposed models intend to cover the carbon surface ablation conditions including the low temperature rate-controlled oxidation, the mid-temperature diffusion-controlled oxidation, and the high temperature sublimation. The prediction of carbon surface recession is achieved by coupling a material thermal response code and a Navier-Stokes flow code. The material thermal response code used in this study is the Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal-response and Ablation Program, which predicts charring material thermal response and shape change on hypersonic space vehicles. The flow code solves the reacting full Navier-Stokes equations using Data Parallel Line Relaxation method. Recession analyses of stagnation tests conducted in NASA Ames Research Center arc-jet facilities with heat fluxes ranging from 45 to 1100 wcm2 are performed and compared with data for model validation. The ablating material used in these arc-jet tests is Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator. Additionally, computational predictions of surface recession and shape change are in good agreement with measurement for arc-jet conditions of Small Probe Reentry Investigation for Thermal Protection System Engineering.

Ablation↗

NASA NTRS2015

Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System for Small and Large Scale Missions: Approaching TRL 6 for Planetary and Human Exploration Missions and TRL 9 for Small Probe Missions

In 2011, NASAs Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) funded an effort to develop an ablative thermal protection system (TPS) material that would have improved properties when compared to Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) and AVCOAT. Their goal was a conformal material, processed with a flexible reinforcement that would result in similar or better thermal characteristics and higher strain-to-failure characteristics that would allow for easier integration on flight aeroshells than then-current rigid ablative TPS materials. In 2012, NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) began funding the maturation of the best formulation of the game changing conformal ablator, C-PICA. Progress has been reported at IPPW over the past three years, describing C-PICA with a density and recession rates similar to PICA, but with a higher strain-to-failure which allows for direct bonding and no gap fillers, and even more important, with thermal characteristics resulting in half the temperature rise of PICA. Overall, C-PICA should be able to replace PICA with a thinner, lighter weight, less complicated design. These characteristics should be particularly attractive for use as backshell TPS on high energy planetary entry vehicles. At the end of this year, the material should be ready for missions to consider including in their design, in fact, NASAs Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is considering incentivizing the use of C-PICA in the next Discovery Proposal call. This year both scale up of the material to large (1-m) sized pieces and the design and build of small probe heatshields for flight tests will be completed. NASA, with an industry partner, will build a 1-m long manufacturing demonstration unit (MDU) with a shape based on a mid LD lifting body. In addition, in an effort to fly as you test and test as you fly, NASA, with a second industry partner, will build a small probe to test in the Interactive Heating Facility (IHF) arc jet and, using nearly the same design, build the aeroshell and TPS, with instrumentation, for a small probe flight test article, due to fly in 2017. At the end of the year, the C-PICA will be at TRL 5+, and with the flight data in 2017, it will be at TRL 9 for missions needs with C-PICA at a small scale (12 diameter). The scale-up and small probe efforts will be de-scribed in this presentation.

Conformal Ablative↗

NASA NTRS2016

Thermal Ablation Modeling for Silicate Materials

A general thermal ablation model for silicates is proposed. The model includes the mass losses through the balance between evaporation and condensation, and through the moving molten layer driven by surface shear force and pressure gradient. This model can be applied in the ablation simulation of the meteoroid and the glassy ablator for spacecraft Thermal Protection Systems. Time-dependent axisymmetric computations are performed by coupling the fluid dynamics code, Data-Parallel Line Relaxation program, with the material response code, Two-dimensional Implicit Thermal Ablation simulation program, to predict the mass lost rates and shape change. The predicted mass loss rates will be compared with available data for model validation, and parametric studies will also be performed for meteoroid earth entry conditions.

Ablation↗

NASA NTRS2011

Effects of Non-Equilibrium Chemistry and Darcy-Forchheimer Flow of Pyrolysis Gas for a Charring Ablator

The Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal Response code, FIAT, simulates pyrolysis and ablation of thermal protection materials and systems. The governing equations, which include energy conservation, a three-component decomposition model, and a surface energy balance, are solved with a moving grid. This work describes new modeling capabilities that are added to a special version of FIAT. These capabilities include a time-dependent pyrolysis gas flow momentum equation with Darcy-Forchheimer terms and pyrolysis gas species conservation equations with finite-rate homogeneous chemical reactions. The total energy conservation equation is also enhanced for consistency with these new additions. Parametric studies are performed using this enhanced version of FIAT. Two groups of analyses of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) are presented. In the first group, an Orion flight environment for a proposed Lunar-return trajectory is considered. In the second group, various test conditions for arcjet models are examined. The central focus of these parametric studies is to understand the effect of pyrolysis gas momentum transfer on PICA material in-depth thermal responses with finite-rate, equilibrium, or frozen homogeneous gas chemistry. Results are presented, discussed, and compared with those predicted by the baseline PICA/FIAT ablation and thermal response model developed by the Orion Thermal Protection System Advanced Development Project.

Ablation↗

NASA NTRS2017

Evaluation of Satellite Remote Sensing Albedo Retrievals over the Ablation Area of the Southwestern Greenland Ice Sheet

MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) albedo products have been validated over spatially uniform, snow-covered areas of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) using the so-called single 'point-to-pixel' method. This study expands on this methodology by applying a 'multiple-point-to-pixel' method and examination of spatial autocorrelation (here using semivariogram analysis) by using in situ observations, high-resolution World- View-2 (WV-2) surface reflectances, and MODIS Collection V006 daily blue-sky albedo over a spatially heterogeneous surfaces in the lower ablation zone in southwest Greenland. Our results using 232 ground-based samples within two MODIS pixels, one being more spatial heterogeneous than the other, show little difference in accuracy among narrow and broad band albedos (except for Band 2). Within the more homogenous pixel area, in situ and MODIS albedos were very close (error varied from −4% to +7%) and within the range of ASD standard errors. The semivariogram analysis revealed that the minimum observational footprint needed for a spatially representative sample is 30 m. In contrast, over the more spatially heterogeneous surface pixel, a minimum footprint size was not quantifiable due to spatial autocorrelation, and far exceeds the effective resolution of the MODIS retrievals. Over the high spatial heterogeneity surface pixel, MODIS is lower than ground measurements by 4-7%, partly due to a known in situ undersampling of darker surfaces that often are impassable by foot (e.g., meltwater features and shadowing effects over crevasses). Despite the sampling issue, our analysis errors are very close to the stated general accuracy of the MODIS product of 5%. Thus, our study suggests that the MODIS albedo product performs well in a very heterogeneous, low-albedo, area of the ice sheet ablation zone. Furthermore, we demonstrate that single 'point-to-pixel' methods alone are insufficient in characterizing and validating the variation of surface albedo displayed in the lower ablation area. This is true because the distribution of in situ data deviations from MODIS albedo show a substantial range, with the average values for the 10th and 90th percentiles being −0.30 and 0.43 across all bands. Thus, if only single point is taken for ground validation, and is randomly selected from either distribution tails, the error would appear to be considerable. Given the need for multiple in-situ points, concurrent albedo measurements derived from existing AWSs, (low-flying vehicles (airborne or unmanned) and high-resolution imagery (WV-2)) are needed to resolve high sub-pixel variability in the ablation zone, and thus, further improve our characterization of Greenland's surface albedo.

Ablation zone↗

NASA NTRS2017

Vacuum Infusion Process Development for Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System Materials

Conformal ablators are low density composite materials comprised of a flexible carbon felt based fibrous substrate and a high surface area phenolic matrix. These materials are fabricated to near net shape by molding the substrate, placing in a rigid matched mold and infusing with liquid resin through a vacuum assisted process. The open mold process, originally developed for older rigid substrate ablators, such as PICA, wastes a substantial amount of resin. In this work, a vacuum infusion process a type of liquid composite molding where resin is directly injected into a closed mold under vacuum is advanced for conformal ablators. The process reduces waste over the state-of-the-art technique. Small, flat samples of Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator are infused using the new approach and subjected to a range of curing configurations and conditions. Resulting materials are inspected for quality and compared to material produced using the standard process. Lessons learned inform subsequent plans for process scale up.

TPS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Deriving iceberg ablation rates using an on-iceberg autonomous phase-sensitive radar (ApRES)

Abstract The increase in iceberg discharge into the polar oceans highlights the importance of understanding how quickly icebergs are deteriorating and where the resulting freshwater injection is occurring. Recent advances in quantifying iceberg deterioration through combinations of modeling, remote sensing and direct in situ measurements have successfully calculated overall ablation rates, and surface and sidewall ablation; however, in situ measurements of basal melt rates have been difficult to obtain. Radar has successfully measured iceberg thickness, but repeat measurements, which would capture a change in iceberg thickness with time, have not yet been collected. Here we test the applicability of using an on-iceberg autonomous phase-sensitive radar (ApRES) to quantify basal ablation rates of a large (~800 m long) non-tabular Arctic iceberg during an intensive 2019 summer field campaign in Sermilik Fjord, southeast Greenland. We find that ApRES can be used to measure basal ablation even over a short deployment period (10 d), and also provide a lower bound on sidewall melt. This study fills a critical gap in iceberg research and pushes the limits of field instrumentation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of nanoscale phase decomposition in laser ablation

Abstract Laser ablation is a process that bears both fundamental physics interest and has wide industrial applications. For decades, the lack of probes on the relevant time and length scales has prevented access to the highly nonequilibrium phase decomposition processes triggered by laser excitation. In this study, a close integration of time-resolved probing by intense femtosecond X-ray pulses with large-scale atomistic modeling has yielded unique insights into the ablation dynamics of thin gold films irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses. The emergence and growth of nanoscale density heterogeneities in the expanding ablation plume, predicted in the simulations, are mapped to the rapid evolution of distinct small angle diffraction features. This mapping enables identification of the characteristic signatures of different phase decomposition processes occurring simultaneously in the plume, which are driven by photomechanical and thermodynamic driving forces. Beyond the specific insights into the ablation phenomenon, this study demonstrates the power of joint X-ray probing and atomistic modeling of material dynamics under extreme conditions of thermal and mechanical nonequilibrium.

Sun, Yanwen (ORCID:0000000159266565)↗

NASA NTRS1972

Reflecting ablating heat shields for planetary entry.

Heat shielding for planetary entry probes of future Jovian and Venusian missions will encounter heating levels well beyond those previously experienced. These entries are typically dominated by radiative heating from the shock layer. This paper demonstrates the potential of reflecting this incident radiation diffusely from an ablating material. This technique contrasts with the absorption experienced by char-forming or graphitic ablators. Two dielectric materials, Teflon (polytetra-fluoroethylene) and boron nitride, are examined for their ablative performance, including reflection, in a combined convective- and radiative-heating environment. For Teflon, at the conditions obtained, superimposition of radiative heating upon a convective stream causes no additional increase in surface recession over the convective only results. For boron nitride, an excellent room-temperature reflector in the visible spectrum, a decrease in reflectivity from 90 to 55 percent is experienced when the surface undergoes sublimation at high temperatures. The process of reflection in each of these materials is described in terms of backscattering from crystals. The significance of a sizable reflection as a mode of energy accommodation is demonstrated for Venusian entries as a potential reduction in mass loss due to ablation.

Peterson, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Comparison of the aerodynamic characteristics of an ablating and nonablating blunted conical body

The influence of ablation on the aerodynamic characteristics of a blunted slender cone was investigated. Plastic models were launched in free flight at ablating conditions. The results were compared with results of similar tests using metal nonablating models. Ablation was found to decrease the dynamic stability and the drag, but had little effect on static stability and lift. The plastic models appeared to experience ablation-induced roll.

Kruse, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Ablative system

A carrier liquid containing ablative material bodies is connected to a plenum chamber wall with openings to a high temperature environment. The liquid and bodies pass through the openings of the wall to form a self replacing ablative surface. The wall is composed of honeycomb layers, spheres containing ablative whiskers or wads, and a hardening catalyst for the carrier liquid. The wall also has woven wicks of ablative material fibers that extend through the wall openings and into plenum chamber which contains the liquid.

Gray, V. H.↗