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Transient aero-thermal mapping of passive Thermal Protection system for nose-cap of Reusable Hypersonic Vehicle

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Abstract

The temperature field history of passive Thermal Protection System (TPS) material at the nose-cap (forward stagnation region) of a Reusable Hypersonic Vehicle (RHV) is generated. The 3-D unsteady heat transfer model couples conduction in the solid with external convection and radiation that are modeled as time-varying boundary conditions on the surface. Results are presented for the following two cases: (1) nose-cap comprised of ablative TPS material only (SIRCA/PICA), and (2) nose-cap comprised of a combination of ablative TPS material with moderate thermal conductivity and insulative TPS material. Comparison of the temperature fields of SIRCA and PICA [Case (1)] indicates lowering of the peak stagnation region temperatures for PICA, due to its higher thermal conductivity. Also, the use of PICA and insulative TPS [Case (2)] for the nose-cap has higher potential for weight reduction than the use of ablative TPS alone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India

    Shripad P. Mahulikar (Professor and A. von Humboldt Fellow), Shashank Khurana (Master Student), Ritesh Dungarwal (Master Student), Sushil G. Shevakari (Master Student), Jayakumar Subramanian (Research Project Student) & Amit V. Gujarathi (Research Assistant)

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  1. Shripad P. Mahulikar
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  2. Shashank Khurana
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  3. Ritesh Dungarwal
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  4. Sushil G. Shevakari
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  5. Jayakumar Subramanian
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  6. Amit V. Gujarathi
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Correspondence to Shripad P. Mahulikar.

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Mahulikar, S.P., Khurana, S., Dungarwal, R. et al. Transient aero-thermal mapping of passive Thermal Protection system for nose-cap of Reusable Hypersonic Vehicle. J of Astronaut Sci 56, 593–619 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03256567

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