SPF/DB Reinforced Exterior Panel for Reusable Hypersonic Thermal Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal management strategies for hypersonic vehicles are inadequate, as traditional materials like nickel alloys are heavy, expensive, and non-reusable, failing to effectively manage high temperatures at hypersonic speeds.
Innovation Solution
A superplastic formed and diffusion bonded (SPF/DB) exterior panel with a multicellular core and a superplastic formed reinforcement (SFR) layer, using materials like titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloy, which provides reinforcement to the exterior skin when temperatures exceed titanium's limits, and is designed for reusability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional thermal protection materials like nickel alloys are used for hypersonic vehicles, then thermal protection capability is improved, but weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure consisting of a titanium alloy exterior skin, a superplastic formed reinforcement layer, and a multicellular core. This composite construction provides effective thermal protection at hypersonic speeds while significantly reducing weight compared to traditional nickel alloy monolithic structures. The titanium alloy skin offers high-temperature resistance, the reinforcement layer provides structural support under thermal load, and the multicellular core contributes to both structural integrity and weight reduction.
2Temperature
If traditional thermal protection materials like nickel alloys are used for hypersonic vehicles, then thermal protection capability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal protection structure is segmented into distinct functional layers: an exterior skin, a reinforcement layer, and a multicellular core. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately using optimized processes and then assembled through diffusion bonding, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to producing a monolithic nickel alloy structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes superplastic forming, a manufacturing process that changes the physical parameters of the material during forming to achieve complex geometries at lower costs. The reinforcement layer is formed through superplastic deformation followed by diffusion bonding, enabling cost-effective production of structurally optimized components with intricate shapes that would be expensive to manufacture using traditional methods.
3Temperature
If traditional thermal protection materials are used for hypersonic vehicles, then thermal protection is provided, but reusability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a reusable thermal protection system where the titanium alloy exterior skin and reinforcement layer can withstand multiple thermal cycles. The structure is engineered to recover and maintain its structural integrity after thermal exposure, allowing it to be reused for multiple missions. The diffusion-bonded construction ensures that the joints maintain their strength through repeated thermal cycling, enabling the system to be recovered and reused rather than discarded after single use.
4Weight of moving object
If titanium alloy exterior skin is used, then weight is reduced, but thermal protection capability deteriorates at hypersonic speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite system where the titanium alloy exterior skin is combined with a superplastic formed reinforcement layer and multicellular core. This composite construction allows the lightweight titanium skin to be supported by the reinforcement layer, which maintains structural integrity at hypersonic temperatures, thereby providing both weight reduction and adequate thermal protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement layer is strategically positioned and configured to provide enhanced structural support specifically in regions experiencing the highest thermal loads. The local reinforcement allows the titanium skin to maintain its lightweight advantage while the reinforcement layer compensates for the reduced thermal protection capability of titanium at hypersonic speeds in critical areas.
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 SPF/DB exterior panel effectively manages high temperatures, providing tensile and compressive strength, and is lighter and less costly, enabling reusable thermal protection for hypersonic vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
A series of core sheets are superplastic formed and diffusion bonded together to form a multicellular core
Implementation Method 2
The exterior skin, the SFR layer, and the core sheets are diffusion bonded together in this way to form an integral structure
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
An exterior panel is formed of superplastic materials, including an exterior skin (12) of titanium to accommodate high thermal stresses imposed on hypersonic transport vehicles during hypersonic flight. The exterior skin (12) is fixed to an underlying reinforcing skeletal structure (18) consisting of a superplastic formable reinforcement (SFR) layer, for example a titanium, zirconium, and molybdenum (TZM) alloy, which supports the exterior skin (12) whenever the latter may be heated to temperatures exceeding 1200 degrees Fahrenheit (650°C). The exterior panel includes a separate interior skin (14) configured for attachment to a frame member such as a rib, stringer, or spar of the hypersonic transport vehicle. A multicellular core (16) is sandwiched between the exterior (12) and interior (14) skins to impart tensile and compressive strength to the exterior panel. In one disclosed method, the core is superplastic formed and diffusion bonded to the exterior and interior skins.