The Air Force of the US has awarded Canopy Aerospacebased in Denver, two contracts with a combined value of $2.8 million to develop thermal protection systemsTPS for next-generation hypersonic and reentry systems. One contract focuses on a new Canopy TPS and the other on the addition of a new High temperature sensors in TPS material.
Canopy’s new TPS leverages the benefits of cooling by perspirationsimilar to how sweating cools humans. Hypersonic platforms, capable of reaching speeds greater than Mach 5operate in some of the most extreme environments known, with temperatures reaching 3,000°C. These conditions require – in missiles, space entry platforms and aircraft – specialized thermal protection systems, which are often made of ceramic structures or ceramic composites.
‘Sweat’ to fly faster
The performance of any high-speed system is limited by its ability to go as fast as possible. without degrading due to thermal stress. Canopy is developing a transpiration-cooled thermal protection system that uses advanced additive manufacturing – 3D printing – of ceramic materials. This technology improves the thermal resistance of the TPS, enabling hypersonic systems operate at higher speeds and have greater maneuverability.
Cooling by perspiration works ejecting a highly pressurized fluid from the leading edge of a hypersonic vehicle. This fluid evaporates rapidly, creating a protective insulating layer which protects the vehicle from aerothermal heating caused by friction between the vehicle surface and the atmosphere.
‘I think the greatest technological or industrial capacity we can invest in would be increase our production ratesin particular, thermal protection systems and additive thermal protection systems for glide vehicles and additive manufacturing for cruise missile engines,’ the statement said. Dr. Gillian BusseyDirector of the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office for the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, The Defense Post reports.
High temperature sensors in TPS material
The second contract corresponds to the development of the Health Monitoring System for Reentry SystemsHMSRS for short, or ‘Smart TPS’, which consists of embedding high temperature sensors within the TPS material.
Space reentry and hypersonic flight create a layer of plasma around the vehicle, making it difficult for traditional sensors to operate. Implanting sensors in the thermal protection system material will make it easier to a greater understanding of material erosion, measure the environment more accurately and the ability to continuously monitor the structural integrity of the TPS throughout the life of the vehicle will be gained..