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NASA NTRS · 19810031583

Developments in Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation

D B Leiser·M Smith·H E Goldstein
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Abstract

The development of a new insulation material for heat-shielding advanced reusable entry vehicles is reported. The material, called fibrous refractory composite insulation, is a composite of two ceramic fibers with no additional additives to bond the fibers together; it also includes silicon carbide, an emmittance agent, to improve its optical properties at high temperature. One fiber is a drawn 11-micron-diameter aluminoborosilicate fiber, the other fiber is the silica fiber (microquartz) used in producing silica RSI (reusable surface insulation for the Space Shuttle), which is a blown fiber of 1-3 micron diameter and variable length. A composition containing 20%, with a thermal shock resistance of 1.8 that of all silica insulation, has been successfully produced in a pilot plant.

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D B Leiser, M Smith, H E Goldstein. 1980-08-01. Developments in Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19810031583

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