Numerical Simulation and Testing of Water Impact of Structural Attachment Elements of a Reusable Thermal Protection System

Abstract:

Multiple mission reuse capability has become extremely important, towards reducing costs of space transportation. Carbon / Carbon (C/C) composites are well proven, functionally, for repeated use in re-entry missions. A re-entry capsule with sphere-cone-flare external shape, currently under realisation, will fly with C/C Thermal Protection System (TPS) in its peak heating region. The biggest challenge in design of such a reusable hot structure TPS is the management of thermo-structural loads. Differential Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) is the main cause of stress on the structural assembly elements. A set of flexible super alloy attachment brackets have been configured to take care of this differential thermal expansion of various TPS elements. The brackets also have to survive the impact transient load, on splashdown. This load was estimated using explicit non linear Finite Element method by considering the whole structure a rigid body. A separate FE model with actual stiffness of the structural attachments and the hot structure was generated, to predict the stresses caused by the load. In order to demonstrate the margins and survivability of the assembly, as a whole, a water impact test with actual qualification model of the assembly was carried out in a 10 m deep shock tank. The test also helped to validate the prediction. Considering factors such as cost, time and process constraints involved in realising C/C TPS for the test, it was decided to replace the same with an equivalent structure that satisfied all design and functional requirements. The test article was dropped vertically to simulate an impact velocity of 12 m/s and was adequately instrumented with accelerometers and strain gauges. The test results correlate reasonably well with the prediction.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 70)
• Pages: 201-206
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.70.201
• Online since: August 2011
• Authors: M.P. Dhanasekaran, A.G. Balamurali, T. Sundararajan, Ramalingam.A. Jothi, R. Dileep, B. Sankaranarayanan, M. Mohan
• Keywords: Hot Structures, Impact Testing, Reusable Thermal Protection System (TPS), SRE, Strain, Structural Attachments

References

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