Experimental investigation on heat transfer characteristics of the metallic thermal protection system with aerogel insulation

Experimental models of the metallic thermal protection system (TPS) with aerogel insulation were built up based on the need of the hypersonic vehicles. Different constructions of the aerogel insulation were designed with considering the effects of the cavity and arrangement of function layers. The thermal shock experiments were conducted under two temperature conditions of 773 K and 1073 K. Important results of the experimental study include: the temperature-time variation pattern of cover sheet was determined by the external temperature boundary conditions, and the change of insulation constructions had little influence on it. The aerogel insulation had impressive performance in heat resistance, and its construction determined the heat transfer characteristics of the test model. In the temperature range of the present study, the radiation effect in the cavity hadn't played a dominate role on the heat transfer, when its heat transfer ability was similar to the aerogel insulation with same depth. The boundary condition for the internal sheet was similar to the adiabatic wall. The experiment data was useful in the design of the active cooling system for the internal cooling of TPS, and it also provided boundary conditions and validation basis for the numerical research.