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Weinstein, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Weinstein, I..

Aerodynamic heating on the corrugated surface of a 10.2 deg half-angle blunted cone at Mach 6.7

A 10.2 deg half-angle blunted cone with corrugated surfaces was tested in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel to measure the aerodynamic heating of its surfaces. The tests were made in a turbulent boundary layer at angles of attack of 0 deg, 5 deg, and 10 deg. Heating of the windward side was in reasonable agreement with theoretical turbulent predictions for a smooth cone, while heating on the leeward side was between laminar and turbulent predictions as a result of local transitional flow or flow separation produced by high lee-side pressures. Localized heating measurements indicated a significant increase in heating at large cross-flow angles, with the maximum heating rates occurring where the flow reattaches on the upstream side of the corrugation crest and the minimum occurring on the downstream side where the flow is separated.

Weinstein, I.↗

Aerothermal performance of radiatively and actively cooled panel at Mach 6.6

A flight-weight radiative and actively cooled honeycomb sandwich panel (RACP) was subjected to multiple cycles of both radiant and aerothermal heating. The 0.61 m by 1.22 m test specimen incorporated essential features of a full scale 0.61 m by 6.10 m RACP designed to withstand a heat flux of 136 kW/sq m. The panel consisted of heat shields, a thin layer of high temperature insulation, and an aluminum honeycomb sandwich panel with coolant tubes next to the sandwich skin. A 60/40 mass solution of ethylene glycol/water was used to cool the panel which successfully withstood a total of 3.5 hr of radiant heating and 137 sec exposure to an M = 6.6 test stream. Heat shield temperatures reached 1080 K (1945 deg R), and cooled-panel temperatures reached 382 K (687 deg R) midway between coolant tubes. Simulation of the full scale panel indicated that the full scale RACP would perform as expected. The tests revealed no evidence of coolant leakage or hot gas ingress which would seriously degrade the RACP performance.

Shore, C. P.↗

Evaluation of three thermal protection systems in a hypersonic high-heating-rate environment induced by an elevon deflected 30 deg

Three thermal protection systems proposed for a hypersonic research airplane were subjected to high heating rates in the Langley 8 foot, high temperature structures tunnel. Metallic heat sink (Lockalloy), reusable surface insulation, and insulator-ablator materials were each tested under similar conditions. The specimens were tested for a 10 second exposure on the windward side of an elevon deflected 30 deg. The metallic heat sink panel exhibited no damage; whereas the reusable surface insulation tiles were debonded from the panel and the insulator-ablator panel eroded through its thickness, thus exposing the aluminum structure to the Mach 7 environment.

Taylor, A. H.↗

Heat-transfer and pressure measurements on a simulated elevon deflected 30 deg near flight conditions at Mach 7

Heat transfer rates and pressures were obtained on an elevon plate (deflected 30 deg) and a flat plate upstream of the elevon in an 8 foot high-temperature structures tunnel. The flight Reynolds number and flight total enthalpy for altitudes of 26.8 km and 28.7 km at Mach seven were duplicated. The heat transfer and pressure data were used to establish heating and pressure loads. The measured heating was compared with several theoretical predictions, and the closest agreement obtained with a Schultz-Grunow reference enthalpy method of calculation.

Johnson, C. B.↗

Performance of LI-1542 reusable surface insulation system in a hypersonic stream

The thermal and structural performance LI-1542 reusable surface insulation (RSI) tiles was investigated. The test panel was designed to represent part of the surface structure on a space shuttle orbiter fuselage along a 1250 K isotherm. Aerothermal tests were conducted at a free-stream Mach number of 6.6, a total temperature of 1820 K, Reynolds numbers of 2 millon and 5 million per meter, and dynamic pressures of 26 and 65 kPa. The RSI tiles demonstrated good thermal protection and structural integrity. High temperatures were caused by misalinement in tile height, offset the tile longitudinal alinement, and leakage around thermal seals when differential pressure existed across the panel. The damage tolerance of LI-1542 RSI appeared high. The tile coating crazed early in the test program, but this did not effect the tile integrity. Erosion of the tile edges occurred at forward-facing steps and at the ends of longitudinal gaps because of particle impacts and flow shear.

Hunt, L. R.↗

Aerodynamic heating to the gaps and surfaces of simulated reusable-surface-insulation tile arrays in turbulent flow at Mach 6.6

An experimental investigation was made on a simulated reusable-surface-insulation tile array in a turbulent boundary layer to determine aerodynamic-heating distributions representative of those expected on the surface of the shuttle orbiter during earth entry due to the presence of longitudinal and transverse surface gaps. The tests were conducted in an 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel in a test medium of methane-air combustion products at a nominal Mach number of 6.6 and over a free-stream Reynolds number range from 2,000,000 to 4,900,000 per meter (600,000 to 1,500,000 per foot). The results were used to assess the aerodynamic heating effects produced by parameters that include gap width, boundary-layer displacement thickness, in-line and staggered tile arrangement, and tile protrusion.

Weinstein, I.↗

Aerothermal performance and structural integrity of a Rene 41 thermal protection system at Mach 6.6

A flightweight panel based on a metallic thermal-protection-system concept for hypersonic and reentry vehicles was subjected repeatedly to thermal cycling by quartz-lamp radiant heating using a thermal history representative of a reentry heat pulse and to aerodynamic heating at heating rates required to sustain a surface temperature of 1089 K (1960 R). The panel consisted of a corrugated heat shield and support members of 0.05-cm (0.02-in.) thick Rene 41 of riveted construction and 5.08-cm (2-in.) thick silica fibrous insulation packages covered by Rene 41 foil and inconel screening. All tests were conducted in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel with the heat shield corrugations alined in the stream direction. The panel sustained 5.33 hr of intermittent radiant heating and 6.5 min of intermittent aerodynamic heating of up to 1-min duration for differential pressures up to 6.2 kPa (0.9 psi) with no apparent degradation of thermal or structural integrity, as indicated by temperature distributions and results from load deflection tests and vibration surveys of natural frequencies.

Deveikis, W. D.↗

Performance of full size metallic and RSI thermal protection systems in a Mach 7 environment

The integrity and reusability of three flight-weight metallic and RSI thermal protection systems, designed for the Shuttle entry environment, have been demonstrated. Each model successfully survived over 23 entry thermal cycles without serious degradation. The metallic systems were more tolerant of the hostile environment and provided a higher degree of reusability than did the RSI. Thermal expansion slip joints of the metallic TPS successfully prevented hot gas ingress to the substructure. The RSI demonstrated high damage tolerance and field repairs increased its reusability. Heat-transfer tests to further assess RSI gap heating indicate that stacked tile orientations may impose a penalty on tile thickness. Parameters influencing RSI impingement heating were determined, and the heating data were correlated.

Bohon, H. L.↗

Heat transfer and pressure distributions on hemisphere-cylinders in methane-air combustion products at Mach 7

Heat-transfer and pressure distributions were measured over the surfaces of three hemisphere-cylinder models tested at a nominal Mach number of 7 in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel which uses methane-air products of combustion as a test medium. The results showed that the heat-transfer and pressure distributions over the surface of the models were in good agreement with experimental data obtained in air and also with theoretical predictions.

Weinstein, I.↗