The Reusability Limits of Carbon/Silicon Carbide Heat Shield Materials Part 1: Surface Temperature and Radiation Phenomenology

The reusability boundaries of ceramic matrix composite heat shield materials are investigated. A pontaneous increase in surface temperature, from near 2100 K to above 2500 K, is observed during carbon/silicon carbide testing in high enthalpy, low pressure, induction plasma. Several specimens and different test configurations are exposed to high heat fluxes and investigated by infrared pyrometry and high digital recording. The phenomenology observed is described and discussed by means of numerical rebuilding of the freestream flow, emissivity calculations and microscopic analysis. Optical emission spectroscopy is performed to investigate the species volatilization during plasma exposure and documented in the Part 2 of this work, included in the presents lecture series proceedings.

Jaar van publicatie:2012

Trefwoorden:surface radiation, emissivity, silicon carbides, High-enthalpy plasma flows