Thermal response and ablation characteristics of light weight ceramic ablators
An account is given of the thermal performance and ablation characteristics of the NASA-Ames Lightweight Ceramic Ablators (LCAs) in supersonic, high-enthalpy convective environments, which use low density ceramic or carbon fiber matrices as substrates for main structural support, with organic resin fillers. LCA densities are in the 0.224-1.282 g/cu cm range. In-depth temperature data have been obtained to determine thermal penetration depths and conductivity. The addition of SiC and PPMA is noted to significantly improve the ablation performance of LCAs with silica substrates. Carbon-based LCAs are the most mass-efficient at high flux levels.
Tran, Huy K.↗