This Phase I program addresses the need for more reliable thermal protection systems (TPS) for hypersonic aerial vehicles operating in hypersonic flight environments. A novel manufacturing process is proposed that allows for controlled porosity structures including layer-to-layer variations that can be tailored for the particular application and material property needs. In this program, experimental development of high temperature, lightweight ceramic insulation will be combined with analytical modeling of the configuration to create an effective TPS to insulate the extreme exterior high temperatures from the interior of the hypersonic vehicle such that internal ambient temperature is at =110°F while adding no more than 15% of the weight of the vehicle when empty. An additional objective is to create structural ceramic bodies that can be self-supporting. The ceramic insulation configurations to be explored are uniform, graded, and multilayered including the incorporation of radiation barriers to improve the thermal efficiency of the TPS.
