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At least 1,261 records · Page 70

Stagnation and downstream viscous shock-layer solutions with radiation and coupled ablation injection

This paper describes a rigorous viscous shock-layer analysis for investigating high energy equilibrium flow fields about blunt axisymmetric bodies. The analysis includes radiation transfer, mass injection, diffusion, and viscous effects. Radiation transfer is calculated with a nongray radiation model that accounts for line and continuum radiation. The analysis can treat all levels of blowing for both stagnation and downstream flow. Results are presented for selected earth entry conditions that demonstrate the essential features of this analysis. Particular emphasis is given to the effects of mass injection on stagnation and downstream flow. Results for both specified and coupled ablation injection are presented.

Moss, J. N.↗

Influence of ablation impurities on blunt body re-entry ionization

Electron density profiles which include the effect of an ablated sodium impurity were computed for the boundary layer on a blunt-nosed body re-entering the atmosphere at 7.62 km/sec. Profiles are computed from the nose to a distance of four diameters along the RAM C-payload. A finite-difference, laminar, nonequilibrium chemistry boundary-layer program was used. Comparison of theory with S-band diagnostic antenna results, electron concentration deduced from X- and C-band attenuation data, and Langmuir probe data at several different aft body locations show that agreement is good at high altitude. At the lower altitudes there is disagreement between theory and S-band antenna data where the apparent discrepancy is attributed to the three-body recombination rate constant used for deionization of sodium coupled with the effect of angle of attack.

Schexnayder, C. J., Jr.↗

Nonequilibrium boundary layer at a stagnation point for a hydrogen-helium stream over ablating graphite

The nonequilibrium axisymmetric stagnation point boundary layer over an ablating graphite surface is considered. The external stream is a high temperature mixture of hydrogen and helium. Variable thermodynamic and transport properties are assumed. Lennard-Jones potential model is used to calculate the transport coefficients of each species. Although the mixture rules for viscosity of the gas mixture are used, the weighting functions are more sophisticated than those commonly employed. For the conductivity of the mixture, generalized Wassiljewa coefficients are used. Seven species with 28 dissociation/recombination reactions are considered. Hansen's model for the dissociation rate constants is employed. The recombination rate constants are obtained by invoking detailed balance principles assisted by the JANAF thermodynamic data and the Hansen-Pearson thermodynamic data for C3.

Liu, T.-M.↗

Study of the ablative effects on tektite

The tumbling and surface roughness effects on the trajectory of entry tektite were studied in both free molecular and continuum flows. It is shown that, while surface roughness has negligible effect on trajectory, the tumbling may play an important role in tektite trajectory and the consequent ablation, provided the body shape is different from a sphere. A shape factor B was proposed to measure the shape irregularity and is found to be a good parameter for correlations between body shape and tumbling effects.

Chen, K. K.↗

Study of the ablative effects on tektite

The tumbling and surface roughness effects on the trajectory of entry tektite are studied in both free molecular and continuum flows. It was concluded that, while surface roughness has negligible effect on trajectory, the tumbling may play an important role in tektite trajectory and the consequent ablation, provided the body shape is different from a sphere. A shape factor was a good parameter for correlations between body shape and tumbling effects.

Chen, K. K.↗

Apparatus for experimental investigation of aerodynamic radiation with absorption by ablation products

A description is given and calibration procedures are presented for an apparatus that is used to simulate aerodynamic radiant heating during planetary entry. The primary function of the apparatus is to simulate the spectral distribution of shock layer radiation and to determine absorption effects of simulated ablation products which are injected into the stagnation region flow field. An electric arc heater is used to heat gas mixtures that represent the planetary atmospheres of interest. Spectral measurements are made with a vacuum ultraviolet scanning monochromator.

Wells, W. L.↗

Moldable cork ablation material

A successful thermal ablative material was manufactured. Moldable cork sheets were tested for density, tensile strength, tensile elongation, thermal conductivity, compression set, and specific heat. A moldable cork sheet, therefore, was established as a realistic product.

Source record↗

Intumescent-ablators as improved thermal protection materials

Nitroaromatic amine-based intumescent coatings were improved with regard to their thermal protection ability by adding endothermic decomposing fillers with endotherms at or near the exothermic reaction of the intumescent agent, since the effectiveness of the intumescent coatings without fillers is reduced by the exothermic behavior of the coatings during thermal activation. Fillers were dispersed directly in the base coating. Potassium fluoborate, ammonium fluoborate, zinc borate, and ammonium oxalate function as endothermic ablative materials at specific temperature regions, and also enhance the char formation during the intumescent process.

Sawko, P. M.↗

The effect of ablation injection on radiative and convective heating

A viscous shock-layer analysis for calculating high energy equilibrium flow fields about blunt axisymmetric bodies is applied to the problem of massive ablation injection with radiation transport. A nongray radiation model is used that accounts for both line and continuum radiation. The solution method is direct and provides both stagnation and downstream solutions. Results for shock heated air show that phenolic-nylon injection is substantially more effective in reducing the wall radiant flux than air injection. Also, for large included body angles, the wall radiative flux and the coupled phenolic-nylon injection rate do not continue to decrease with increasing distance downstream.

Moss, J. N.↗

Experimental performance of an ablative material as an external insulator for a hypersonic research aircraft

An ablative material composed of silica-filled elastomeric silicone was tested to evaluate its thermal and structural performance as an external insulator, or heat shield, for a hypersonic research aircraft. The material was also tested to determine whether it would form a durable char layer when initially heated and thereafter function primarily as an insulator with little further pyrolysis or char removal. Aerothermal tests were representative of nominal Mach 6 cruise conditions of the aircraft, and additional tests were representative of Mach 8 cruise and interference heating conditions. Radiant heating tests were used to simulate the complete nominal Mach 6 surface-temperature history. The silica char that formed during aerothermal tests was not durable. The char experienced a general and preferential surface recession, with the primary mechanism for char removal being erosion. Tests revealed that radiant heating is not a valid technique for simulating aerodynamic heating of the material.

Puster, R. L.↗

Study of the ablative effects on tektites: Atmosphere entry of a swarm of tektites

The large variety of ablation markings observed on recovered tektites lead to the previously proposed swarm wake model which states that the lead peripheral tektites bore the blunt of aerodynamic heating upon entry, and that the bulk of tektites in the wake enjoyed partial shielding at the expense of the leaders. Further considerations are presented in support of this model. Quantitative assessments indicate that wake shielding might indeed have provided for substantially less heating than would have been experienced by a tektite entering an undisturbed atmosphere along a similar trajectory. For the case of strong wake shielding it is even possible that the surface temperature of a falling tektite had barely reached its melting point. In the distribution of tektites, there is a size band (near R = 0.5 cm) which is least susceptible to melting.

Sepri, P.↗

Sprayable low density ablator and application process

A sprayable, low density ablative composition is described consisting esentially of: (1) 100 parts by weight of a mixture of 25-65% by weight of phenolic microballoons, 0-20% by weight of glass microballoons, 4-10% by weight of glass fibers, 25-45% by weight of an epoxy-modified polyurethane resin, 2-4% by weight of a bentonite dispersing aid, and 1-2% by weight of an alcohol activator for the bentonite; (2) 1-10 parts by weight of an aromatic amine curing agent; and (3) 200-400 parts by weight of a solvent.

Sharpe, M. H.↗

Intumescent-ablator coatings using endothermic fillers

An intumescent-ablator coating composition which contains the ammonium salt of 1,4-nitroaniline-2-sulfonic acid or 4,4 dinitrosul fanilide, a polymeric binder system and about 5 to 30% weight of an endothermic filler is reported. The filler has a decomposition temperature about or within the exothermic region of the intumescent agent.

Sawko, P. M.↗

Meteor ablation spheres from deep-sea sediments

Spheres from mid-Pacific abyssal clays (0 to 500,000 yrs old), formed from particles that completely melted and subsequently recrystallized as they separated from their meteoroid bodies, or containing relict grains of parent meteoroids that did not experience any melting were analyzed. The spheres were readily divided into three groups using their dominant mineralogy. The Fe-rich spheres were produced during ablation of Fe and metal-rich silicate meteoroids. The glassy spheres are considerably more Fe-rich than the silicate spheres. They consist of magnetite and an Fe glass which is relatively low in Si. Bulk compositions and relict grains are useful for determining the parent meteoroid types for the silicate spheres. Bulk analyses of recrystallized spheres show that nonvolatile elemental abundances are similar to chondrite abundances. Analysis of relict grains identified high temperature minerals associated with a fine-grained, low temperature, volatile-rich matrix. The obvious candidates for parent meteoroids of this type of silicate sphere is a carbonaceous chondrite.

Blanchard, M. B.↗

Some effects of ablation on transport properties in the Jovian atmosphere

In this paper the transport properties at the inner and outer boundary for mixing between ablation products and a Jovian-like atmosphere are calculated. The dominant species at these boundaries are C, H, O, He, H+, and e. Accurate potential energy curves are obtained for the fifteen possible two-body interactions among these species by fitting good semiempirical potentials for which transport collision cross sections have been tabulated to accurate experimental and theoretical information. Results are obtained for the viscosity and translational thermal conductivity of the pure species and the binary diffusion coefficients from 1000 K to 25,000 K. In addition, the mixture translational thermal conductivity and viscosity are calculated at the inner and outer mixing boundaries. This information is required for calculating flowfield properties and surface heating. The most important conclusion is that the translational thermal conductivity is substantially lower at the inner mixing boundary than it is at the outer mixing boundary.

Biolsi, L.↗

The impact of turbulence on a radiating shock layer with coupled ablation injection

This paper provides a description of the potential impact of turbulence on a radiating flow field with large surface blowing. This is accomplished by calculating the forebody flow field with coupled carbon-phenolic mass injection for a probe entering the Jupiter atmosphere. Both laminar and turbulent flow conditions are assumed. For the no blowing solutions, turbulence is shown to have no impact on the surface radiative heating. However, with ablation injection, turbulence significantly increases the surface radiative heating rate. This occurs because the turbulence brings the high temperature gases closer to the surface, thus thinning the cool molecular gases at the wall which are responsible for blocking much of the radiation.

Moss, J. N.↗

Strain compatibility assessment for SRB sprayable ablator MSA-1

Tensile and compressive strain compatibility testing was performed on as-sprayed samples of the Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster external ablator material, MSA-1. Strain gages on the aluminum substrate were used to monitor strain. Strain compatibility was determined as the percent strain in the substrate at first visual evidence of MSA-1 failure. The 1/8-in. MSA-1, baselined for large areas of the SRB external skin, was characterized by a strain compatibility of 1.5 to 1.8 percent, which far exceeded the yield range of the metal substrate. Thicker MSA-1 applications (1.4 to 3/8 in.) were characterized by a lower level of strain compatibility, which appeared to be a manifestation of application limitations.

Patterson, W. J.↗