Analysis of Reusable Integrated Thermal Protection Panel Elements with Various Insulating Core Options

Abstract

A finite element analysis (FEA) tool was developed for evaluating the effects of basic design features and materials choices on a basic panel for an Integrated Thermal Protection System (ITPS). A set of practical optimization problems regarding different insulating core options was solved by utilizing the commercial FEA software ANSYS. The core options represent five different layouts for the insulation layer: bonded/unbonded foam with blade stiffeners, bonded/unbonded foam with hat-section stiffeners, and simple bonded foam. A conventional design with parasitic insulation tiles was also analyzed as a reference. Figures of Merit (FoMs) identifying the combination of load-bearing capability and the mass of the ITPS were defined. Using these FoMs, the optimization objective functions were created so as to consider both the insulation performance and structural strength and stiffness. Some examples of FoMs of each design candidate were optimized and compared with each other to identify the best structural layout. Finally, the effects of materials properties on the best core options were investigated.

Thermomechanical Coupling Analysis and Optimization of Metallic Thermal Protection System

“…It can help develop the thermal protection system with better thermal and mechanical performance at the same time. Jiang [12] optimized the layout of insulations of five different integrated thermal protection systems (ITPS) on the basis of three-dimensional models. Zhao [13] established two different configurations of ITPS and optimized them with simulated annealing algorithm.…”

Thermal-Mechanical Optimization of Folded Core Sandwich Panels for Thermal Protection Systems of Space Vehicles

“…Conventional TPS are not load-bearing components, while an integrated thermal protection system (ITPS) is capable of bearing both mechanical and thermal loads [2,3]. Both metal foam core and corrugated core have been widely investigated to achieve this goal [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Metal foam is an attractive proposition as a sandwich core for its desirable combination of mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and impactabsorbing properties [10].…”