Integrating Aeroheating and TPS into Conceptual RLV Design

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop the Thermal Calculation Analysis Tool (TCAT) that will enable Aeroheating and Thermal Protection System (TPS) sizing to be, an on-line, automated process. This process is described as dynamic on-line TPS sizing. It enables the assumptions made about the vehicle TPS to be updated through out the iteration-process. This method is faster and more accurate than a static offline process where the assumptions of the vehicle TPS are held constant during the vehicle design procedure. TCAT will work in conjunction with other engineering disciplines in a Design Structure Matrix (DSM). The unsteady, one dimensional heat diffusion equation was discretized, and resulted in a tridiagonal system of non-linear algebraic equations. This system was implicitly solved using the iterative Newton-Raphson technique at each time level. This technique was conducted for both steady-state and transient conditions that predicted the temperature profiles, and in-depth conduction histories for several TPS material test cases. Also, this was performed on several disparate TPS materials layered together at one time. Finally; comparative benchmark solutions of the TCAT transient analyses were conducted using the commercial software code SINDA/G. Results show that TCAT performed as predicted, and will satisfy the requirement of lowering the amount of time required to conduct TPS sizing for a reusable launch vehicle. Future work will consist of adding temperature dependent material properties to TCAT, coupling TCAT to an optimizer, and creating a web-interface that will enable cross-platform operation of TCAT.