Producing ablative thermal protection systems by additive manufacturing
Aerospace vehicles that undergo atmospheric re-entry require thermal protection systems (TPS) to protect them from the extreme environment. Currently, TPS production relies on hand layup techniques which are time-, cost-, and energy-intensive. A method to produce composite TPS via additive manufactu...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20550340.2024.2366622 |
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| Summary: | Aerospace vehicles that undergo atmospheric re-entry require thermal protection systems (TPS) to protect them from the extreme environment. Currently, TPS production relies on hand layup techniques which are time-, cost-, and energy-intensive. A method to produce composite TPS via additive manufacturing (AM) is demonstrated, which uses a custom-designed formulation. Thermal characterization of the composite system showed that char yield values were comparable to ablative systems presently used in TPS. Printability was demonstrated by in situ deposition onto a rotating/tilting aluminum substrate. A five-axis printer system was developed/adapted to accommodate the contours of TPS substrates and to enable the extrudate to completely cover leading edges of vehicle control surfaces. |
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| ISSN: | 2055-0340 2055-0359 |