IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,688,052
Granted Patent B1
US 9,688,052 · App. 14/010,355 · Granted Jun 27, 2017

Thermal protection supplement for reducing interface thermal mismatch

Inventors: David A. Stewart (Santa Cruz, CA); Daniel B. Leiser (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Adminstrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
B32B7/02B22F2203/05B22F2207/17C04B2235/775C04B2237/58
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,688,052
App. No.
14/010,355
Granted
Jun 27, 2017
Kind
B1
Abstract

A thermal protection system that reduces a mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients CTE between a first material layer (CTE1) and a second material layer (CTE2) at a first layer-second layer interface. A portion of aluminum borosilicate (abs) or another suitable additive (add), whose CTE value, CTE(add), satisfies (CTE(add)−CTE1)(CTE(add)−CTE2)<0, is distributed with variable additive density, ρ(z;add), in the first material layer and/or in the second material layer, with ρ(z;add) near the materials interface being relatively high (alternatively, relatively low) and ρ(z;add) in a region spaced apart from the interface being relatively low (alternatively, relatively high).

Claims (38)

1. A thermal protection system that reduces a mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion (“CTEs”) across an interface between first and second materials, the system comprising:

a first material, having an undoped CTE value CTE1, the first material having distal and interface surfaces;

a second material having an undoped CTE value CTE2 where CTE2 is greater than CTE1, the second material having distal and interface surfaces, wherein the interface surface of the second material is disposed adjacent to the interface surface of the first material;

additive material particles having a CTE value CTE(add) dispersed within said first and second materials along a density gradient where the dispersion density of the additive material particles changes within the first and second materials from the distal surfaces to the interface surfaces,

where

(CTE(add)−CTE1)(CTE(add)−CTE2)<0, and

CTE1<CTE(add)<CTE2,

wherein the dispersion density of the additive material particles increases within the first and second materials from the distal surfaces to the interface surfaces.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said additive material particles have at least one of said particles with average compositions of p(Al 2 O 3 ) percent Al 2 O 3 , p(B 2 O 3 ) percent B 2 O 3 , and p(SiO 2 ) percent of SiO 2 , where a sum p(Al 2 O 3 )+p(B 2 O 3 )+p(SiO 2 ) is approximately equal to 100 percent.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein a sum p(Al 2 O 3 )+p(B 2 O 3 ) lies in a range of 72-100 percent.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein said value p(SiO 2 ) lies in a range of 0-28 percent.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first material comprises reaction cured glass (RCG).

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said second material comprises ROCCI.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said additive material particles comprise at least one of

a first configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 62.5%, 24.5%, and 13% respectively,

a second configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 70%, 28%, and 2% respectively,

a third configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 73%, 23%, and 0% respectively,

a fourth configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of >99%, ≈0%, and ≈0% respectively, and

a fifth configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 85%, 15%, and 10% respectively.

8. A thermal protection system that reduces a mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion (“CTEs”) across an interface between first and second materials, the system comprising:

a first material, having an undoped CTE value CTE1, the first material having distal and interface surfaces;

a second material having an undoped CTE value CTE2 where CTE2 is greater than CTE1, the second material having distal and interface surfaces, wherein the interface surface of the second material is disposed adjacent to the interface surface of the first material;

additive material particles having a CTE value CTE(add) dispersed within said first and second materials along a density gradient where the dispersion density of the additive material particles changes within the first and second materials from the distal surfaces to the interface surfaces,

where

(CTE(add)−CTE1)(CTE(add)−CTE2)<0, and

CTE1<CTE(add)<CTE2,

wherein the dispersion density of the additive material particles decreases within the first and second materials from the distal surfaces to the interface surfaces.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said additive material particles have at least one of said particles with average compositions of p(Al 2 O 3 ) percent Al 2 O 3 , p(B 2 O 3 ) percent B 2 O 3 , and p(SiO 2 ) percent of SiO 2 , where a sum p(Al 2 O 3 )+p(B 2 O 3 )+p(SiO 2 ) is approximately equal to 100 percent.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein a sum p(Al 2 O 3 )+p(B 2 O 3 ) lies in a range of 72-100 percent.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein said value p(SiO 2 ) lies in a range of 0-28 percent.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein said first material comprises reaction cured glass (RCG).

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein said second material comprises ROCCI.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein said additive material particles comprise at least one of

a first configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 62.5%, 24.5%, and 13% respectively,

a second configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 70%, 28%, and 2% respectively,

a third configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 73%, 23%, and 0% respectively,

a fourth configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of >99%, ≈0%, and ≈0% respectively, and

a fifth configuration of aluminum borosilicate with a representative composition of Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and B 2 O 3 having mass fractions of 85%, 15%, and 10% respectively.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 22, 2014
From: STEWART, DAVID A.; LEISER, DANIEL B.
To: USA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NASA
Reel/Frame 032023/0417 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 61777833 · Mar 12, 2013