Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Cox, B. G..
Heating array for thermally conditioning reusable surface insulation panels of thermal protection systems is capable of heating samples to 2500 F at pressures ranging from 0.5 to 760 torr. System uses low cost, easily replaceable graphite heating elements, which give more uniform heating than quartz lamps.
A graphite radiant heating array, capable of heating a 5-ft span of shuttle wing leading edge or a 4 x 8 ft flat panel through an entry thermal profile up to 3200 G, has been designed and built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation for NASA-Johnson Space Center. The unique, interchangeable, self-contained heather modules and their versatile support structure/coolant manifold are discussed along with the extensive thermal analysis that accompanied the design effort. A complete description of the geometric capabilities of the array, as well as the design details of the individual modules, is presented. The complete performance envelope of the array is discussed, including maximum temperature and gradients, heating uniformity, and the required utilities and support equipment.
An experimental system was developed for evaluation of the effects of aerodynamic heating and cooling, vacuum, and pressure loading on candidate insulation packages proposed for use on the space shuttle. The system includes a number of design features which facilitate rapid recycle times. This is necessary to efficiently conduct extensive thermal cycling tests on these insulation packages to determine their reuse capabilities. The heart of the system is a 26-inch graphite element radiant heater. A susceptor plate functions as a uniform-temperature intermediate radiating surface. The susceptor also forms the lid of an inert atmosphere enclosure which separates the heater from the oxidizing test atmosphere. In some tests the plate properly simulates the heating from an actual flight heat-shield panel. Although other materials were used at lower required test temperatures, 2500 F was routinely achieved using a coated columbium susceptor plate.