Flexible Ablator Using Binder Resin to Balance Flexibility and Thermal Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ablators lack flexibility, requiring costly jigs and processing to fit the fuselage shape, while reducing phenol resin content for flexibility compromises aerodynamic heating protection performance.
Innovation Solution
An ablator composed of a base material with carbon fiber, granular spherical resin, and binder resin, where the binder resin content is adjusted to provide flexibility and improve fuselage protection by using phenol or fran resin, allowing the ablator to be bent and fitted to the fuselage shape without additional processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If phenol resin content is reduced to give flexibility to the ablator, then the ablator can be bent to fit the fuselage shape, but the performance to protect the fuselage from aerodynamic heating is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite material system consisting of carbon fiber base material, granular phenol resin, and binder resin. This composite structure allows the ablator to achieve both flexibility (through the fiber network and controlled resin content) and thermal protection performance (through the phenol resin's pyrolysis characteristics and the composite structure's heat resistance).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the binder resin content to a specific range (5-20 mass%) to achieve the desired balance between flexibility and protection performance. By controlling this parameter, the ablator maintains sufficient flexibility for fitting while retaining enough phenol resin for effective thermal protection during reentry.
2Reliability
If conventional ablator manufacturing methods are used, then the ablator can protect the fuselage, but costly jigs and processing are required to fit the fuselage shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a homogeneous composite structure where phenol resin granules are uniformly distributed throughout the carbon fiber base material and binder resin matrix. This uniform distribution ensures consistent protection performance across the entire ablator surface, eliminating the need for localized adjustments or additional processing to achieve both protection and fit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The ablator achieves improved fuselage protection performance with flexibility, reducing manufacturing costs and maintaining heat resistance through appropriate resin content adjustment, as demonstrated by arc heating tests.
Implementation Method 1
binder resin that is impregnated in the base material to couple the granular resin and the base material
Implementation Method 2
The ablator is a structure that blocks off the transfer of heat to the fuselage main unit by pyrolyzation
Implementation Method 3
to protect a fuselage of the vehicle from the aerodynamic heating upon reentering
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an ablator having flexibility and also having improved vehicle body protecting performance. The ablator comprises: a base material made from fibers; a particulate resin; and a binder resin with vvhich the fibers are impregnated and which can bind the particulate resin to the base material.