Methodology for Optimal Design of a Conformal Ablative Heatshield
Author(s)
Sidor, Adam T.
Braun, Robert D.
Kennedy, Graeme J.
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Abstract
Conformal ablators are low density composite materials comprised of a flexible fibrous
substrate and polymer matrix. Recent advancements have improved the efficiency of conformal ablator fabrication through vacuum infusion processing where resin is directly injected into a fiber substrate enclosed in a matched mold. This mold filling process can
be numerically simulated to inform mold and process design. An automated methodology pairing a mold filling simulation with an approach for tiling a heatshield geometry
leads to designs optimized for manufacturing. Material property estimation generalizes
the approach to a range of constituent materials, enabling rapid conceptual evaluation of
a conformal ablative heatshield. This work improves on the state of the art which relies
on heuristic methods tailored to a particular material and aeroshell geometry. Results
for a 4.5 meter, 70 degree sphere-cone aeroshell demonstrate the power of an integrated
approach.
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Date
2018-06
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Text
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Paper
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