(NASA-CR-17C801) S6 B THtFtJAL PROTECTIOH SfSTBRS HATt'BIALS TEST RESULTS IN AN AFC-HEATED Y I T R O G Y N P I V I i i O N H E B T ( L o c k h e e d missiles a n d S p a c e Co.

) 6 2 p HCTAC4/PlF A C 1

CSCL 1lD S3/24

Ucclas
16C46

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

FOREWORD

f This report documents the r e s u l t s o a materials test of Solid Rocket

Booster thermal protection s y s t e m s conducted at Acurex Corporation in their
1 Megawatt A r c Pksnia Generator Facility.

The purpose of the test was to

verify the thermal protection s y s t e m s m a t e r i a l s performance in a high heating and high enthalpy environment similar to Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster staging environment. Acurex personnel conducted the tests, and Lockheed-Huntsville provided a t e s t monitor. Lockheed-Huntsville support for the tests is provided under Contract
NASS-32982, 5 o l i d Rocket Booster T h e r m a l Protection S y s t e m Material

Development."

The NASA -MSFC Contracting Officer' s Representative f o r this contract is Mr. Williarn Baker, EP44. Mr. Baker w a s also the COR on
the Acurex test support contract.

The Acurex test engineers w e r e M r . L.

Arnold and Mr. E. Fretter; the Lockheed-Huntsville test engineer w a s Mr.

C.J . Wojciechowski.

.. 11
LOCKHELD . HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH 6 ENGINEERING CENTER
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CONTENTS Section FOREWORD NOMENCLATURE Page

ii
V

I
2

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY TECHNICAL DISC U SION 2.1 T e s t Description 2.2 Data Analysis

3
4

TEST RESULTS CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

19

27
28

Appendix Acurex Report LIST OF TABLES Table

1
A-1

L i s t of TPS T e s t Specimens Panel Local-to-Stagnation Point Heating Rate Ratio P a n e l Local Aerothermodynamic Relationships for the T h r e e T e s t Locations TPS Test Samples Weights and Thickness Measurements Aerotherm P r o b e TPS T e s t Results Aerotherm P a n e l TPS T e s t Results

6
8

2
3
4

10 20

5 6

21

22

LIST O F FIGURES
Figure
1

Heating Rate-Shear Stress Relationship for T e s t and Flight Constant P l u m e Impingement S h e a r Stress Contours at

11 12 13

2
3

t = 5 sec
Constant P l u m e impingement S h e a r Stress Contours at t = 6 sec iii

I N K H E E D HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH 81 ENGINEERING CENrCA

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

Figure
4
5

Page Constant P!urne Impingement Heating Rate Contours at t = 5 sec Constant Plume Impingement Heating Rate Contours at t = 6 sec Temperature-Enthalpy Relationship for Nitrogen and SSME Plume Wash

14
15

6
7
8

16
17 23

Wall Temperature Effect8 on Convective Heating Rates for Nitrogen and SSME Plume Wash
Recession Rate v s Heating Rate Design Curves and TPS Test Results

iv

LOCKHEED - HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH &

ENGINEERING CENTEr7

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

NOMENCLATURE

English

Desc r i piion total enthalpy, Btu/lbm static enthalpy, Btuilbm Mach number pressure, lb/in
2

H h

M
P

; 1
R

heating rate, Btu/ft 2 -sec recession rate, rnils/sec temperature, R

T
Greek 7

shear stress, lb/in 2

Subsc r i pt s
cw

cold wall defined at 460 R boundary layer edge condition local condition stagnation point conditions local stagnation condition recovery value

L
0

OL
r

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

1. INTRODUCTION AND S U M M A R Y

The external surface o the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) will experience f
imposed thermal and s h e a r environments due t o aerodynamic heating and

radiation heating during launch, staging and reentry.

The thermal protectiov

s y s t e m (TPS) is a n insulation s y s t e m applied to the external s u r f a c e s of the SRB f o r maintaining the s t r u c t u r a l and component temperatures within their design limits. This r e p o r t is concerned with the performance of the various During staging, the wash from F i v e different SRB T P S materials

TFS m a t e r i a l s during the staging maneuver.

duration, thermal environments on the SRB. Aerotherm.

the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) exhaust plumes impose s e v e r e , s h o r t w e r e tested in the 1 MW A r c Plasma Generator ( A m ) facility of Acurex/ T h i s facility allowed simulation of the SSME aerodynamic heating Some and aerodynamic s h e a r environments over most of the SRB arface. spikes of 360 Btu/ft

l o c a l hot spots on the SRB with predicted SSME plume wash heating rates The maximum simulated heat2 ing rate obtained i n the APG facility was 248 Btu/ft -sec, however, the test duration was such that the t o t a l heat was m o r e than simulated. Similarly, Most
some local high s h e a r stress levels of 0.04 p s i a w e r e not simulated.

-sec w e r e not simulated.

of the SSME plume impingement area on the SRB experiences shear stress levels of 0.02 psia and lower. The s h e a r stress levels on the t e s t specimens The SSME plume stagnation conditions w e r e between 0.021 and 0.008 psia.

(in the SRB impingement region) of 5260 R temperature, 6000 Btu/lbm enthalpy and 3 psia p r e s s u r e w e r e simulated using arc heated nitrogen with stagnation conditions of 9700 R temperature, 4800 Btu/lbm enthalpy and 2.7 psia stagnation p r e s s u r e . The TPS m a t e r i a l samples held up as expected o r b e t t e r than expected in terms of material recession rates under the simulated SSME plume wash environments. In terms of virgin material r e c e s s i o n rates, the five TPS materials ranking from highest t o lowest are: M A - 2 , MTA-2, P 5 0 and

LOCKHEED. HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

phenolic glass (both ranked same), and finally B-Stage cork.

The thickness

of the TPS materials was a nominal 0.30 in. The test data indicates that this

thickness i s more than sufficient to protect against the SSME plume wash thermal environments as simulated.

LE RESEARCH 6 ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

2.

TECHNICAL DISCUSSION

Discussed in the first part of this section are the features of the TPS test facility, calibration methods, TFS specimen descriptions, data m e a s u r e ments and data reduction. The second part d i s c u s s e s the flight simulation The main objective of the test program c r i t e r i a and the t e s t data analysis.

w a s to obtain SRB TPS material ablation c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s (virgin material

recession r a t e s and surface temperatures) in a s h o r t duration, high heating and enthalpy environment representative of the SSME plume wash conditions. On the SRB, the highest heating rates occur on the SRB s t r u c t u r a l protuberances which use phenolic glass TPS. used.

In addition, it was a l s o d e s i r e d to simu-

late the heating rates on the a c r e a g e areas where other TPS materials a r e To simulate this range of heating rates two test configurations were The probe configuration was used for the higher heating rate The materials that w e r e tested w e r e P50 sheet cork, B-Stage c o r k , employed. heating.

simulation and a panel configuration was used to simulate the a c r e a g e a r e a phenolic g l a s s manufactured by Edler Industries, Inc., MTA-2 and M A - 2 both of which w e r e developed by NASA-MSFC.

A l l the m a t e r i a l s w e r e tested

on both model configurations in o r d e r t o obtain a good variation of virgin material recession r;te as a function o cold wall heating rate and s h e a r stress f
level,
2.1

TEST DESCRIPTION The t e s t s w e r e conducted a t Acurex Corporation in their 1 Megawatt

A r c Plasm- Generator (APG) facility.

A complete description of this facility,

a s well a s rile Acurex final data r e p o r t is included in this r e p o r t in the Appendix.

The test gas used w a s nitrogen.

Nitrogen was selected because it provided a n The

oxygen-free high enthalpy environment s i m i l a r to the SSME plume wash.

SSME plume wash consists mainly of 75% water vapor and 25v0 hydrogen gas.
The reaction of the water vapor with the carbon c h a r layer was not simulated.

COCKHEED . HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM I3697786

Hclwever, estimates o the reaction r a t e s for this reaction under the low f p r e s s u r e environment indicates that this reaction would not be dominant. Because of differences in the specific heat8 of the SSME plume wash and the a r c heated nitrogen gas, the temperature-enthalpy relationship could not be

R at a n enthalpy of 4781 Btu/ lbm for the a r c heated nitrogen as compared with SSME plume wash s k g n a tion t e m p e r a t u r e s of 5260 R a t a n enthalpy of 6000 Btu/lbm. Sincz anthalpy
potential is the main driving f o r c e in convective heat t r a n s f e r , it was d e s i r t d to simulate as close as possible the enthalpy potential as this would better simulate the hot wall convective heating r a t e s . The nozzle s i z e was selected to yield a Mach number of 3.53 approach flow which would simulate the local

simulated, Le., stagnation t e m p e r a t u r e s of 9950

SSME plume and Mach number.

With the t e s t gas selected, the next phase w a s to r u n a s e r i e s of calibration t e s t s to determine the t h e r m a l environment about the models. Since a 2 in. exit diameter nozzle was used the

TPS models were small in o r d e r

The

to have a s uniform a flow field as possible over the model surface. by 3 in. a s shown i n F i g s . 2 and 3 on page 4 of the Appendix. and s e p a r a t e pitot probe w e r e used f o r the probe models. model shop. Appendix.

probe model was a 1 in. d i a m e t e r flat disc and the panel model was 1.25 in. F o r the calibraticn runs, the standard Acurex f l a t face slug calorimeter calibration probe

For the flat panel

models, a f l a t panel calibration model w a 8 built by the Lockheed-Huntsville The panel calibration model is shown in Fig. 5, page 8, of the The calibration model featured 3 thin skin (0.030 in. nominal) heat The thin skin arca thicknesses w e r e accurately The calibration test procedures a r e given

transfer sensing a r e a s , one Gardon gage calorimeter, and t h r e e local p r e s s u r e measurement locations. measured using a m i c r o m e t e r , prior to placing the 30 gage wire chrome1 alumel thermocouple junctions. on page 11 of the Appendix. The TPS t e s t specimens were a l l a nominal 0.30 in, thick mounted on individual 0,125 in. thick aluminum backup plates.
c

The backface thermo-

Tuples were mounted on the backside of the aluminum s u b s t r a t e plate.

LOCKHEED * HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH 6 ENGINEERING CENTER

The probe and panel t e s t specimens are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in the Appendix. F i g u r e s 1 and 4 in the Appendix show how the t e s t specimens w e r e The procedure used when
A l i s t of all

mounted in t h e i r respective holders for testing.

testing the TPS specimens i s listed on page 14 of the Appendix. the T P S specimens which w e r e tested are given in Table 1. Huntsville.

The models w e r e Pre-

prepared by NASA -MSFC Materials Laboratory with help from LockheedThe models w e r e photographed prior to the test at Acurex.

test thicknesses and weights w e r e made by NASA-MSFC Materials Lab a s well

as placement of the thermocouples.

P o s t - t e s t virgin material thicknesses All the models w e r e f i r s t tested a t the

w e r e made a t Lockheed-Huntsville. t e s t monitor.

lower exposure time and then inspected b y the Lockheed-Huntsville onsite I the models looked good with plenty of virgin m a t e r i a l ref
A complete description

maining and the backface temperature r i s e was low, the next s i m i l a r TPS specimen was tested a t the longer exposure time. Appendix. of the t e s t instrumentation is given in Section 3, pages 6 through 11 of the All of the Visicorder data reduction and analysis was done on site In this by the Lockheed-Huntsville monitor, after instruction f r o m Acurex personnel. This included both the calibration runs and the TPS specimen runs. way t h e r e w e r e no delays in setup time and communication and the next APG run could be prepared by the Acurex t e s ? engineer while data f r o m the previous run w e r e being reduced and analyzed, Upon test completion, copies
3f the reduced Visicorder and surface temperature data w e r e made f o r v e r i -

fication and comparison with the Vidor DDAS data for inclusion in the Acurex final data report. F i g u r e 6 on page 15 in the Appendix shows the probe model During testing, the models w e r e viewed (hrough TPS t e s t configuration, and Fig. 7 on page 16 (Appendix) shows thc; TPS panel model t e s t configuration. the quartz windows,
2.2

DATA ANALYSIS

A detailed listing of the t e s t instrumentation and data reduction methods

i s given on pages 6 through 11 of the Appendix. The discussion h e r e is concerned with determining the A P G facility flow field, the model flow field, extrapolation to flight conditions, and TPS specimen r e c e s s i o n measurements.

LOCKHEED . HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

Table 1

LIST OF TPS TEST SPECIMENS

I
Run No. Configuration

Model No.

TPS Material P50 Sheet Cork P 5 0 Sheet Cork

c-1
PC-1 PC -2 PA - 3
P A -4

2
3

P50 Sheet Cork

Edler S-Glass Phenolic Edler S-Glass Phenolic
Edler S-Glass Phenolic

4
5

6
7

PA-5 P A -6 PB-1 PB-2 PD- 1 PE- 1

PE-2

Edler S-Glass Phenolic B-Stage Sheet Cork B-Stage Sheet Cork MSA - 2 MTA -2
MTA-2

9
10

I1
12 13
14

PD-2 c-2
A-1

MSA-2 P 5 0 Sheet C o r k Edler S-c:lass Phenolic Edle r S -Glass ''henolic B-Stage Sheet Cork MTA - 2 MSA-2 MTA - 2 MSA-2 P50 She& Cork B-Stage Sheet Cork

15

16
17 18 19 20 21
22

A-2 B-1

E- 1 D- 1
E-2

D-2

c-3
B-2

23

LOt'KHEED. HUNTSVILLL RESEARCH 1c ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

2.2.1

APG Facility Flow Field

During the calibration phase of the program, the a r c chamber p r e s s u r e and model pitot p r e s s u r e and heating r a t e s w e r e measured. Using these data
. 5 3 using a n

and the thermal properties of high temperature nitrogen, the Mach number of the plasma j e t centerline was determined to be approximately effective gamma ( r a t i o of specific heats) of 1.30. flow field.
2.2.2
~

The nitrogen gas gamma

v a r i e s f r o m 1.17 in the chamber to 1.38 in the highly expanded regions of the

Model Aerothermodynamic Environments During the model TPS t e s t s only the a r c chamber p r e s s u r e and stagna-

tion heating r a t e were measured.

This presented no problem f o r the probe During the calibration phase,

TPS t e s t s , but for the panel TPS t e s t s , the local heating r a t e s had to be derived f r o m the stagnation point heating rate. a t the s a m e stabilized a r c condition. both the probe and the panel calibration model were immersed sequentia'

F r o m this data ratios of local-to.

stagnation poihit heating r a t e w e r e established f o r the t h r e e instrumented locations on the panel as shown in Table 2. The model local shear s t r e s s calculation was calculated using the same general f o r m of equation that w a s used in the preflight predictions for the

SSME plume wash, (Refs.2 and 3). The equation used was
0.008372

4M L J T
pia,

r =
where

(Hr- h w1

local heating rate, Btu/ft

-sec

local Mach number boundary layer edge t e m p e r a t u r e , R recovery enthalpy, Btu/lbm wall enthalpy a t 460 R , Btu/lbm

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESCARCH & NCINEERING i E i i i ER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

Tablc 2
P A NEL LOCAL - TO 3TAGNA TION POINT HEA TING F A TE RA TIO::: Z
_I_

. L
"

Test No.
3150-02 3150-03 3151-01
Test A v e r a g e s
-I-

Location 1.'.
.320 .354

Location Z .253 ,238

Location 3
.115
.lo4

.392

.262

,106 .lo8

.355

.Z51

Defined a s q

c w k

,,. .a, ,,.

JI

S C C F i g . 5 of Appendix for l o c a t i o n s .

LOCKHEED. HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH 6 ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

r
i

'
i

F o r the panel tests the local Mach number was obtained f r o m the r a t i o of the local p r e s s u r e to the pitot p r e s s u r e . Then using the local bdach number, the boundary layer edge temperature and enthalpy w e r e determined using ideal g a s relationships and a gamma of 1.3. The panel r e s u l t s f o r the three locations are shown in Table 3. A boundary l a y e r r e c o v e r y factor of 0.9 was used.
Figure 1 presents the heating r a t e - s h e a r s t r e s s variation f o r both the probe and panel configurations. The s h e a r s t r e s s level
OD

the probe configuration

was calculated z t the junction between the TPS specimen and the graphite collar. The flowfield properties at this junction w e r e evaluated with the a s s i s t a n c e of the data presented in Ref. 4. F i g u r e s 2 and 3 show the SSME plume wash shear Shown in Figs. 4 and 5 are the The values Protuberance heating is s t r e s s levels at two time points f r o m Ref. 2.

corresponding SSME plume wash heating rate levels f r o m Ref. 2. shown in Figs. 2 through 5 a r e t'cleantt body values.

presented in Ref. 3 but no corresponding s h e a r stress levels a r e presented. Comparison of Fig. 1 with Figs. 2 through 5 indicate that the heating r a t e and

shear s t r e s s levels were well simulated in this t e s t for m o s t of the SRB imping e me nt area.

2.2.3

Data Extrapolation to Flight Due to differences in the heat capacities of the SSME plume wash and

the A P G nitrogen, the relationships between thc ratio of cold wall to hot wall convective heating a r e different f o r the two gases.

F i g u r e 6 depicts the
Figure 7 shaws the

temperature-enthalpy relationships for the two gases.

r a t i o of cold wall to hot wall convective heating rate v e r s u s wall temperature

for the SSME plume wash and one recovery enthalpy value for the APG. Also

shown is the ratio of flight cold wall to test cold wall heating rate as a function of wall temperature f o r these two particular recovery enthalpy values, lated using the following procedure: 1. The local cold wall heating r a t e was calculated f r o m the measured stagnation point heating rate and the appropriate local factor f o r the panel f r o m Table 3. Using the appropriate factor f r o m Table 3, the recovery enthalpy was determined. Basica l l y for each TPS test, the flight cold wall simulated heating rate was calcu-

LOCKHEED. HI'hlSVILLE RESENRCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

lablc 3

PANEL LOCAL AEROTHERMODYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE THREE TEST LOCATIONS

Panel Location

q,,/qo

V H 0

VT0
.66 1
.478

M~ 18 .5

(psi)

pe/poL

1
2
3

.355 .25 1 .lo8

.962

.021

.473

.941 .930

2.70
3.33

.376

.018 .008

.116
,

.027

10

LOCKHEED - HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH

ENGINEERING CENTER

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LMSC-HREC TM D697786
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LMSC-HREC T M D697786

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LMSC-HREC TM D697786

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LMSC-HREC TM D697786

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LOCKHLED * HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC T M D697786

mHb/M3b

17

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

L,

Using the m e a s u r e d wall temperature and Fig.6, the test hot wall heatir-g rate was calculated using:
-

'hwtest

qcw

(wr test - hhwtest

(H r

test

test

1 . cw test

Then by definition the test hot wall heating rate was a s s u m e d to be equal to the flight hot wall heating rate.
3. Using the m e a s u r e d wall temperature and Fig. 6, the flight hot wall enthalpy was determined. The flight recovery enthalpy used was 5814 Btu/lbm. The flight cold wall heating rate was then calculated using

!H
a

=cw flt

aL

rflt

- h

(Hf It

=hwf lr.

- k...It1 'lWf

CWflt

where the hcw is defined at 460 R. 2.2.4 Model Recession Measurements Each model was weighed immediately a f t e r test. w e r e taken a t MSFC. erposed. P o s t - t e s t photographs

The amount of virgin material remaining was m e a s u r e d

after the c h a r layer was carefully machined away until the virgin m a t e r i a l was

Thickness measurements w e r e taken at the c e n t e r of the probe

models and at the three m e a s u r e m e n t locations on the flat panels.

18

LOCKHEED - HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC T M D697786

3.

TEST RESULTS

The preliminary TPS m a t e r i a l s t e s t results a r e presented in Table 3

of the Appendix.

Table 4 in the Appendix presents the APC run conditions The TPS t e s t sample pretest and post-test weights

f o r each materials test.

and thicknesses with and without the post-test char a r e given i n Table 4. The post-test weights shown in Table 4 a r e sometimes g r e a t e r than the pretest weights. The probable reason for this is that the pretest weights w e r e made In observing the post-test m a t e r i a l thicknesses with the a t MSFC and the post-test weights made a t Acurex by different personnel and a different scale. c h a r retained, i t is evident that the only m a t e r i a l s that exhibited any char removal were the MTA-2 m a t e r i a l and to a l e s s e r extent the MSA-2 material. The cork materials exhibited swelling during the test. thickness measured with the c h a r removed. The p r o b e TPS test r e s u l t s a r e presented ir. Table 5. nesses and the exposure time. Table 6. The r e c e s s i o n The only correlations that were made i n this r e p o r t w a s with the pretest thickness and post-test

r a t e s presented in Table 5 a r e based on the post-test c h a r removed thickThe panel TPS test r e s u l t s a r e presented in
A com-

The recession r a t e s were calculated the s a m e as f o r the probe

tests and a r e given f o r the t h r e e instrumented locations on the panel.

posite plot of the TPS recession r a t e v e r s u s cold wall heating r a t e i s presented in Fig. 8. Also presented in Fig. 8 a r e the c u r r e n t TPS m a t e r i a l recession rate design curves f o r the various TFS m a t e r i a l s .
A l l of the TPS m a t e r i a l s samples tested held up a s expected o r much

better than expected under the simulated SSME plume impingement environment. The various m a t e r i a l s tested and their r e s u l t s a r e discussed next on an individual basis.

19

LOCKHEED. HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH L ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC

TM D697786

e -

:$
m

?bi Y

a r

0,s

20

LOCKHEED. HUWTSVILLt RESEARCH L ENGINEERING CENTER

u i l n 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
h

m w

00

0 IC m

V'

21

I Lk'KHCLD. HUNTSVILLC RESEARl'H CC ENGlNtERlNG CENTCR

LMSC-HREC T M D697786

Li

ii d
v1

l+

I
d

22
LOCKHEED. HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH b ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC T M D697786
100.0

k
.d

>

0.1

0.01

1 .o

Cold
Fig. 8

100 Wall Heating Rate (Btu/ft 2 - s e c )

10

1000

- R e c e s s i o n Rate vs Heating Rate D e s i g n Curves and TPS T e s t R e s u l t s

23

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH 6 ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

E d l e r S-Glass Laminated Phenolic This m a t e r i a l was tested i n the simulated flight cold wall heat r a t e 2 range between 20 and 248 Btu/ft -sec. The virgin m a t e r i a l recession r a t e matched the flight design curve of R = 0.01377 appeared under the outer plies.

(4cw)1.257131.

A t the higher

heat r a t e levels, the g l a s s reinforcement melted and flowed, and tiny bubbles The m a t e r i a l formed a v e r y stable c h a r with no visible evide-ce of char recession.

A l l of the t e s t s a m p l e s w e r e

bonded w i t h epoxy to a 0.125 in. aluminum substrate using EA 934 adhesive. Some of the models showed evidence of bondline failure and on one probe model the phenclic specimen fell off after t e s t completion. problem. On the flight vehicle, the phenolic will be mechanically attached so this should not be a Measured surface t e m p e r a t u r e s varied f r o m 2230 to 3000 F depending on the t e s t conditions. predicted flight values.
0

These t e m p e r a t u r e s a r e representative of

P50 Sheet Cork

This material was tested i n the simulated flight cold wall heat r a t e range 2 between 23 and 142 Btu/ft -sec. The virgin m a t e r i a l recession r a t e was w e l l below the 2000 R design values by about a factor .sf 4. r a t e was s i m i l a r to the phenolic recession rate. The m a t e r i a l recession The recession r a t e equation * 0.9 which describes the data fairing shown in Fig. 8 is R = 0.05279 qcw 9 8 9 5 . The inaterial formed a v e r y stable c r a z e d char with no visible char recession, in fact, the material swelled a bit.

This stable char was probably the main

Measured surface t e m p e r a t u r e s varied

reason for the low recession i a t e s .

f r o m 2273 to 3100 F depending on the heat r a t e level.

0

B-Stage Cork This material was tested in the simulated flight cold wall heat rate range

between 21 and 166 Btu/ft -sec.

The virgin m a t e r i a l recession rate was the

lowest of a l l the materials tested. The recession r a t e design values shown in Fig. 8 were obtained f r o m Ref. 5. In this t e s t , the virgin material recession

24

LOCKHEEO - HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH L ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

r a t e was approxixately 62% that of the P50 sheet cork.

R = 0.0447

The B-stage c 3 r k

recession r a t e equation which best describes the data fairing i n Fig. 8 is

4,,0.928.

The B-Stage cork rcscted to the t h e r m a l environment

very s i m i l a r to the P50 sheet cork with possibly slightly m o r e swelling occurring. Measured surface t e m p e r a t u r e s varied f r o m 2338 to 3047 F depending onthe heat r a t e level. 0 MTA - 2 Marshall Trowelable Ablator- 2

This m a t e r i a l w a s tested in the simulated flight cold wall heat r a t e 2 range between 21 and 138 Btu/ft -sec. This m a t e r i a l w a s developed a s a closeout m a t e r i a l for either M A - 1 o r cork.

A s such, its recession r a t e

The virgin m a t e r i a l

i s expected to be s i m i l a r f o r a good closeout material. and about one-half the P50 c o r k design values. twice a s f a s t a s the P50 cork.

recession r a t e was w e l l below the MSA- 1 and MTA-2 (Ref. 6) design values, In this t e s t , it receeded about The recession r a t e equation which describes The c h a r continually spalled

0-76455. This m a t e r i a l did not exthe data fairing in Fig. 8 is R = 0.3037 qcw
hibit a stable char formation during the test. off a s evidenced by a pulsating surface t e m p e r a t u r e history and hot s p a r k s coming off the model. A t a simulated flight cold wall heating r a t e of 77 Btu/ 2 f t - s e c the surface t e m p e r a t u r e varied between 1940 and 2350 F, and a t 136 2 Btu/ft - s e c the surface t e m p e r a t u r e varied between 1885 and 2900 F, a v e r aging about 2260 F under the last condition.
0

MSA-2

- Marshall Spray-On Ablator-2

This m a t e r i a l could be developed into

This m a t e r i a l i s one of s e v e r a l types being developed by MSFC to r e place MSA- 1 and cork TPS materials. a sprayable m a t e r i a l which would eliminate t e laborious task of bonding c o r k in the a r e a s that MSA-1 will not stand u p to the exposed t h e r m a l environments. I n these t e s t s , the material demonstrated that it could be a d i r e c t r-placement
f o r P50 cork and MSA-1.

The m a t e r i a l exhibited virgin m a t e r i a l recession The recession r a t e

r a t e s slightly lower than the P50 cork design values.

25

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH b ENGINEERING CEIiTER

LMSC-HREC TM D39771-6

equation which describes the data fairing shown in Fig. during test.

* L c2927, i s R = 1.3931 a m * "tv

The material formed a stable char. Surface temperatures vrrizd 2 from 2374 F at a heating rate of 74 Btu/ft -sec to 3041 at a heating rate CC 127 2 B tu/f t sec

- .

26

LOCKHEED . HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

. I -

& l l l l l l l l

I _

- -_

- I I I

_L I _L I dI IL L_ I _ _L. . l

~ - ",

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

4.

CONCLUSIONS

For the range cf t e s t conditions investigated in this study, the 1 : rndP

t e r i a l samples performed as expected o r much better than expected. range of heating rates investigated w e r e f r o m 20 to 240 Stu/ft s t r e s s levels f r o m 0.008 to 0.021 psia.
-bet

The and s h e a r

The aerL*inerm P G facility provided A

f f valuable data f o r this investigation, and extended the range o applicability o

the design recession curves for the various TPS materials. However, higher s h e a r stresses and heating rates a r e s t i l l required to cover the complete plume wash range on the SRB vehicle.
t o cover this range as well

Future investigations should attempt

as simulate the SSME plume wash chemical species.

The Acurex A P G facility is a likely candidate facility in which such a future experimental program can be conducted.

27

COCKHEED . HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH L ENGINEERING CENTER

LMSC-HREC TM D697786

REFERENCES 1. Arnold, L, "Testing of SRB-TPS Materials in a n A r c Heated Nitrogen Environment," Acurex Final Data R e p o r t 79-355, Acurex Corporation/ Aerotherm, Mountain View, Calif., May 1979. 2. Youngblood, W.W., "SSME Plume Impingement Environments to SRBs During Design C a s e Separation," Northrop S e r v i c e s Inc., Memorandum M-9230-76-51 to Dr. T. F. Greenwood and Dave Seymour, NASA-MSFC/ ED33, 22 July 1976. 3. Youngblood, W.W.,"Design Environments -SSME P l u m e Impingement to SRBs During Separation,I1 Northrop S e r v i c e s , Inc., Memorandum M/923076-60 to David Seymour and Dr. T. Greenwood, NASA-MSFC/ED33, dated 2r) September 1976.
4. Boison, J. C., and H. A. C u r t i s s , "An Experimental Investigation of Blunt Body Stagnation Point V e l o c i t y Gradient," ARS J . , F e b r u a r y 1959, pp. 130135.

5. Karu, Z.S., "Space Shuttle SRB 3-Stage Cork TPS T e s t and Evaluation in AEDC Tunnel C," LMSC-HREC T N D697584, Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Huntsville, Ala., 22 June 1979. 6. Karu, Z. S., "SRB TPS Closeout Materials Characterization,@' LMSCHREC TN D697757, Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Huntsville, A l a . , November 1979.

28

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CENTER

APPENDIX

SRB THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS MATERIALS TEST RESULTS IN AN ARC-HEATED NITROGEW ENVIRONMENT

LOCKHEED HUNTSVILLE RESEARCH L ENGINEERING CENTER

~

Acurex Project 6945

TESTING OF SRB-TPS MATERIALS IN AN ARC HEATED NITROGEN ENVIRONMENT

L. Arnold
Acurex Corporation/Aerotherm Aerospace Systems Division 485 Clyde Avenue Mountain View, California 94042

May 1979

ACUREX FINAL DATA REPORT 79-355

Prepared for

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

Code: EP44
Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812 NASA Contract NAS8-3401

Acurex P r o j e c t 6945

TESTING OF SRB-TPS MATERIALS I N AN ARC HEATED NITROGEN ENVIRONMENT

L. Arnold

Acurex Corporation/Aerothenn Aerospace Systems D i v i s i o n 485 Clyde Avenue Mountain View, C a l i f o r n i a 94042

May 1979

Acurex Final Data Report 79-355

Prepared f o r George C. Mdrshall Space F l i g h t Center Code: EP44 Marshal 1 Space F1i g h t Center, Alabama 35812

NASA Contract NAS8-33401

TABLE OF CONTENTS Sectipn ..... 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1

..................... Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TEST DESCRIPTION

................... 2.1 F a c i l i t y Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 T e s t Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INSTRUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 Data A c q u i s i t i o n and Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Arc Chamber Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Heating Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 Backwall Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Model Surface Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 Bulk Enthalpy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 Model Surface Pressure . Model Stagnation Pressure Center1i n e Enthalpy Camera

1 1 2
6
6 6 6 7 7 9 10 10 10 11

TESTING

............ ............ ............... ..................... .......................

11

4.1 4.2

Test M a t r i x Test Procedures

RESULTS

................... ................. .......................

11 11

17

PRECEDING PAGE BLANK NOT FILMED

V

1.

I NTROPUCTI ON This r e p o r t presents t h e r e s u l t s o f t e s t i n g 23 SRB-TP5 m a t e r i a l

specinens f o r Marshall Space F l i g h t Center under NASA c o n t r a c t number NAS8-334ul and Acurex/Aerothenn c o n t r a c t number 6945. The c o n t r a c t

nmnitor was Mr. W i l l i a m Baker o f NASA, and t h e o n s i t e t e c h n i c a l monitor was

M r . C a r l Wojciechowski o f Lockheed M i s s i l e s & Space Company, Inc.

The

W t e s t s were conducted i n the 1 M Arc Plasma Generator (APG) f a c i l i t y o f Acurex/Aerotherm from 16 A p r i l 1979 t o 27 A p r i l 1979. 1.1 Objective The o b j e c t i v e o f the program was t o t e s t the SRB-TPS m a t e r i a l specimens i n a high heating and h i g h enthalpy environment under two configurations. The probe c o n f i g u r a t i o n simulated the heating on the

upper forward corner l i p o f the TPS where the TPS i n t e r f a c e s w i t h the top
of the attach r i n g o r k i c k r i n g o f t h e SRB.

The panel configuration

simulated the f l i g h t heating e f f e c t s on the s e l f - s u ? p o r t i n g TPS areas on the forward web o f the SRB k i c k r i n g and a t t a c h r i n g . 2.
TEST DESCRIPTION

The materials t h a t were t e s t e d i n t h i s program were P50 cork, glass phenolic, "6" cork, MTA-2, and MSA-2.
A l l o f t h e m a t e r i a l s were t e s t e d

under both model c o n f i g u r a t i o n s . 2.1

- acility F

Oescriptions

This t e s t program was conducted i n the vacuum chamber of the Acurex/Aerotherm 1

MW Arc Plasma Generator (APG) f a c i l i t y l o c a t e d i n

B r i e f l y , the VAC-APG produces a h i g h enthalpy, The

Mountain View, C a l i f o r n i a .

low pressure stream using a subatmospheric pressure t e s t section. vacuum i s provided by a f i v e - s t a g e steam e j e c t o r .

The APG i n p u t power i s

supplied by a 600 kW continuous rated, saturable core reactor, DC r e c t i f i e r power supply. This power supply uses a r e c t i f i e r transformer which transThe

forms 460 VAC, 60 HZ i n p u t voltage i n t o a usable DC o u t p u t voltage. power supply can provide 1.25 MW f o r s h o r t periods of time. A l - i n c h diameter c o n s t r i c t e d arc heater, c o n s i s t i n g of two segmented c o n s t r i c t o r packs 13.5 inches long, was used f o r t h i s t e s t program.

The t e s t nozzle had a 0.75-inch t h r o a t diameter w i t h a 8.5" The models, p i t o t

h a l f angle leading t o the e x i t diameter o f 2 inches.

probe, and calorimeters were moved i n and o u t o f the t e s t stream using one o f the three water-cooled, pneumatically c o n t r o l l e d stings. 2.2 leest Models A t o t a l o f 23 specimens were tested i n two d i f f e r e n t model configurations. The probe t e s t specimens supplied by NASA were mounted

i n t o a graphite model holder, as shown i n Figure 1, and attached t o the sting. The s t i n g was adjusted perpendicular t o the c e n t e r l i n e flow o f

the t e s t stream w i t h a standoff distance 1 inch from the nozzle e x i t . The probe specimen i n Figure 2 shows the shape and s i z e of the specimens bei ng tested. The panel specimen shape and s i z e a r e i l l u s t r a t e d i n Figure 3. The panel t e s t specimens supplied by NASA were mounted i n t o a copper nodel holder w i t h t h e leading and t r a i l i n g edges protected by graphite sections as shown 'n Figure 4. The s t i n g was positioned so t h a t the

c e n t e r l i n e t e s t stream f l o w came i n t o contact w i t h the specimen 5/8 i n c h

back o f the leading edge w i t h a s t a n d o f f distance 1 i n c h from the nozzle
exit.

The specimen/holder was i n c l i n e d 30" t o the f l o w c e n t e r l i n e .

". ct\,..... . 1OF POOH QJALIlY

Graphite urotective

Figure 1 .

The SRB-TPS model h o l d e r assembly f o r t h e probe cnnfiquration.

ORIGINAL PRGZ E OF POOR QUALIW

a 1 m i num back p ! a t e

0. ! iiia;eria: O

thickness

T h e m m o t ples

Figure 2.

The probe specimen dimensions.

0.187 + i a 4 loles

Fiqure 3.

The panel specimen dimensions.

\ I /

\ i l

ce
h
v

n E a l
I n

3.

I NSTRUMENfAT I ON
The following instrumentation was used t o c o l l e c t the data

r e f e r r e d t o l a t e r i n t h i s report.

3.1

Data A c q u i s i t i o n and Analysis

A l l data was c o l l e c t e d by t h e Yidar high-speed 80-channel d i g i t a l

data a c q u i s i t i o n system w i t h a magnetic tape recording. The data

includes arc c u r r e n t and voltage, a r c heater c o o l i n g water mass f l o w and tairperature r i s e , a r c chamber pressure, p i t o t pressure, pyrometer output, calorimeter values, and thermocouple signals. The tape was processed

through an Rcurex computer program t o g i v e power outputs, a r c losses, bulk enthalpies, pressures, and temperatures.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e magnetic tape, a Honeywell 1858 V i s i c o r d e r

was used t o record c e r t a i n t e s t d3ta f o r imnediate analysis.

Some o f the

?arameters recorded on the v i s i c o r d e r were pressure, thernocouple responses, arc current, and pyrometer and c a l o r i m e t e r outputs.

3 . ~ Arc Chamber Pressure A B e l l and Howell 0-25 p s i a pressure transducer, type 4-326-0003,
was used t o measure t h e nozzle stagnation pressure i n the plenum upstream
o f the 0.75-inch diameter t h r o a t .

The pressure transducer output signal

rJas a m p l i f i e d by a B e l l and Howell 8-114 s i g n a l c o n d i t i o n i n g u n i t before

i t went t o the Vidar f o r recording.

3.3

Heating Rate
A s l u g calorimeter, s i m u l a t i n g the probe specimen shape, was used

t o measure t h e heating r a t e o f the probe cocfiguration.

The c a l o r i m e t e r The

was a 1.25-inch f l a t faced s l u g w i t h a 0.06-inch corner radius.

calorimeter was i n s e r t e d i n t o t h e arc stream and withdrawn a f t e r 1 t o 2 seconds had elapsed a t the c e r l t e r l i n e o f the arc flow.

A t h i n - s k i n calorimeter, provided by NASA t o simulate the s i z e and shape

of the panel specimen, was used t o c o l l e c t t h e heating r a t e o f the panel configuration. The t h i n - s k i n c a l o r i m e t e r had three type

K t h e m z o u p l c s spaced

rm evenly across the panel back face and offset on both s i c k s fo the c e n t e r l i n e
by 3/16 inch.

Three pressure taps were a l s o spaced evenly aamss the t h i n - s k i n

calorimeter opposite each of t h e thermocouples and o f f s e t from the c e n t e r l i n e .

A Gardon gage c a l o r i m t e r was used on t h e t r a i l i n g edge o f t h e t h i n - s k i n

calorimeter t o provide a secondary measurement o f t h e heating r a t e .

Model C-1117-GX-60-120, s e r i a l number 44118.

This was a

The t h i n - s k i n calorimeter, show0

i n Figure 5, was i n s e r t e d i n t o t h e arc flow and h e l d f o r 3 seconds a t the

center1 i n e before being withdrawn.

3.4
--

Backwall Temperature

Both the probe and t h e panel specimens were instrumented w i t h ? d - m i l l , type K (chromel-alumel) thermocouples. The probe c o n f i g u r a t i o n had one thermo-

couple attached a t t h e center o f t h e specimen and another o f f s e t about 1/4 i n c h t o one side as shown i n Figure 2. The panel c o n f i g u r a t i o n had three thenno-

couples evenly spaced from t h e leading edse o f t h e specimen t o the t r a i l i n g edge on the speiiiwn's c e n t e r l i n e as shown i n Figure 3 .

3.5

Model Surface Temperature

Ffir t h e probe c o n f i g u r a t i o n , a f i b e r o p t i c pyrometer was used t o record

the surface temperature.

The pyrometer was a Vanzetti Model 1317-1 185-8-0H2,

s e r i a l number 101719, w i t h a 3-inch f o c a l l e n g t h and an e f f e c t i v e spot diameter o f 0.035 Inch. The s e n s i t i v e range i s 0.7 t o 0.97 microns. The

pyrometer was mounted on the n o z z l e and p o s i t i n n e d ? inches from the center

Gf

t h e probe specimen.

The temperature range was 1400F t o 4500F.

For the pane c o n f i g u r a t i o n , a Therrnodot Mode TD-9F was used t o measure the surface temperature. This pyroneter has an e f f e c t i v e spot 7

1'
I
0 0
c?
u l N
L

TLn O

.--

I
rn
N

7-

diameter o f 0.076 i n c h w i t h a s e n s i t i v e range o f 0.75 t o 0.90 microns. The pyrometer was p o s i t i o n e d on the outside o f t h e vacuum chamber l o o k i n g through a quartz window, w i t h the e f f e c t i v e spot placed where t h e t e s t stream c e n t e r l i n e f l o w h i t the panel specimen. was :750F t o 2600F. The range of t h e pyrometer

3.6

B u j k Enthalpy

The enthalpy o f t h e gas was determined by an energy balance o f the

APG system, i n c l u d i n g t h e arc column from the cathode t o t h e anode, plenum,

and nozzle.

Bulk enthalpy i s defined as:

where

= Arc c u r r e n t (amps)

V = Voltage dropped from cathode t o anode ( v o l t s )

mHZ0

= Mass f l o w r a t e o f t h e c o o l i n g water through the

arc, plenum, and nozzle ( l b / s e c )

ATH'20 = Difference i n t h e temperature between the i n l e t and the o u t l e t c o o l i n g water f o r t h e arc, plenum, and nozzle ( O F )

m
tgas

= Total mass flow o f arc heated gas ( l b / s e c )

Water flowrates were measured w i t h an ASME sharp edge o r i f i c e and 9 d i f f e r e n t i a l pressure transducer. d i f f e r e n t i a l thermopile. Temperatures were measured w i t h a

Gas flow was measured on two flowmeters

c a l i b r a t e d f o r a f i x e d pressure, temperature, and f l o w range.

3.7

Model Surface Pressure Three Statham 0-5.15 p s i a pressure transducers, type PA 732 TC-5.15-350,

were used t o measure t h e model surface pressure.

The 1/16-inch diameter

pressure povts were located on t h e t h i n - s k i n calorimeter, o f f s e t 3 / i 6 i n c h froni the c e n t e r l i n e and placed a l t e r n a t e l y on each s i d e o f the c e n t e r l i n e .

A small tube was run from the pressure p o r t s t o the pressure transducers.
The surface pressures were then taken during the c a l i b r a t i o n runs f o r t h e panel c o n f i g u r a t i o n . 3.8 Model Stagnation Pressure

A p i t o t tube was used t o measure the stagnation pressure on the

centerline. The 3/8-inch diameter p i t o t probe had a 1/16-inch opening.

The p i t o t probe was connected t o a Statham 0-15 p s i a pressure transducer, type P68-15A-300, which obtained t h e pressure reading. V i s i c o r d e r records

o f the pressure response were used t o ensure t h a t a steady-state c o n d i t i o n had been reached before removal from the gas stream. 3.9 Centerline Enthalpy The center1 i n e enthalpy was c a l c u l a t e d using the measured quanti t i e s of model st3gnation pressure, the coldwall heating r a t e , and the f o l l o w i n g
Z3b.y equation f o r N2 (Reference 1 ) :

(Btu/lbj =

4cw

JG
dp,
2

0.0431

where

4,,
P
t2

= Coldwall heat f l u x from the 1.25-inch f l a t faced

calorimeter ( B t u / f t 2 sec)
= Model stagnation pressure (atm) = 0.421 f o r t h e c a l o r i m e t e r c o n f i g u r a t i o n ( f t 1/21

JReff

10

3.10

Cainera The camera used t o r e c o r d t h e models under t e s t c o n d i i i o n s was a

Locam camera w i t h a 50 mm lens.

The speed was s e t a t 100 frames a second.

The f stop was e i t h e r 16 o r 22, depending on t h e t y p e o f f i l m b e i n g used. Three d i f f e r e n t kinds o f f i l m were used. Plus-X Reversal F i l m 7276 w i t h an ASA o f 50. The f i r s t was t h e Kodak

The second f i l m was Eastman The l a s t type

Ektachrorne Video News F i l m 7240-Tungsten w i t h an ASA o f 125.

of f i l m used was Eastman Ektachrome Video News T i l m , High Speed, 7250-Tungsten

w i t h an ASA 400.

4. 4.1

TEST1NG
--Test

Matrix

Table 1 l i s t s t h e t e s t sequence f o r the models, t e s t d u r a t i o n , t e s t h e a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s , and model c o n f i g u r a t i o n . The c o l d w a l l h e a t i n g r a t e d i d n o t s i m u l a t e t h e surface temperature and t h e heat l o a d as c l o s e l y t o a c t u a l f l i g h t c o n d i t i o n s as had been expected. The h o t w a l l h e a t i n g r a t e , however, was determined t o c l o s e l y
By t a k i n g t h e h o t w a l l h e a t i n g r a t e ,

simulate actual f l i g h t conditions.

b o t h t h e f l i g h t surface temperature and the f l i g h t heat l o a d c o u l d be simulated using t h e a r c heater. The simulated c o n d i t i o n s were obtained

w i t h an N2 t e s t gas i n a sbpersonic stream having a minimum Mach number

o f 2.5.

4.2

Test _ _Procedur?; ~ _ _C a l i b r a t i o n runs were made a t each t e s t c o n f i g u r a t i o n b e f o r e t h e

model runs were made. 1.

The c a l i b r a t i o n sequence was as f o l l o w s :

Hook up a l l i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n t o t h e s l u g o r t h i n - s k i n ca 1o r i meter .

11

TABLE 1.

TEST MATRIX

OF SRB-TPS MATERIALS

Run No.
1

Configuration

Model No.

Heating Condition
Hi

Time (sec)

2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

PC-2
PA- 3 PA- 4 PA- 5 PA- 6 PB- 1 FB-2 PD- 1 PE- 1 PE-2

Lo Lo
Hi Hi

Lo
Hi

Lo
Lo Lo Lo
10 .

13 14
15 16 17 18

Lo :4 i
Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi

4 4 4 4 8 8 5 4 8 5 5 8 8 15
15 25 15 15

19
20

21 22 23

15 20 25 25 25

12

2.

Calibrate all the modules on the 1858 Visicorder with a known voltage.

3.
4.

Pump down the arc vaciiuni chamber.

W e chamber i s pumped down t o desired pressure, zero the hn transducers.

5. Check vacuum chamber and a l l instrumentation lines for

1ea kage .

6. Set gas line pressure.

7. Cold flow gases t o ensure proper mass flowrate.

0.

S t a r t arc on argon, turn magnetic tape on, and switch nitroqzn

on when the arc current i s 100 amperes above the desired

test point.
9. After switching t o nitrogen, lower the arc current t o the

test point.
10.

Insert the pitot probe ( P

t2

) i n t o the arc flow, statio;iary

a t the centerline O F the flow for 2 seconds : , i t h 1858 Visicorder

r u n n i n g a t 1 ips, and then h i t h d r a w i t .

11.

With the 1858 Visicorder r u n n i n g a t IIJ i p s , insert the

t h i n - s k i n calorimeter into the arc flow and leave i t a t the flow

center1 ine for 3 seconds before withdrawal.

12.
W i t h the 1858 Visiccrder r u n n i n g a t 10 ips, insert the slug

calorimeter i n t o the arc stream f o r 1 t o 2 seconds before withdrawal .

13.

Using the information on the magnetic tape, run a computer

program t o yield the d a t a for the arc condi'ions; analyze the

data from the 1858 Visicorder, and record the results.

13

14.

Repeat t h i s process several times t o ensure operation a t the desired t e s t p o i n t i s obtained.

The procedure used when t e s t i n g t h e models was as f o l l o w s : 1. Take p r e t e s t photograph. Record p r e t e s t weight. Record p r e t e s t thickness. Connect model thermocouples t o the recording system. Securely mount model t o t h e s t i n g w i t h the probe center on the c e r i t e r l i n e o f t h e arc, 1 i n c h away from the nozzle e x i t , o r t h e panel i n c l i n e d 30" t o the arc flow, w i t h the arc flow c e n t e r l i n e h i t t i n g t h e model 5/8 i n c h from the leading edge o f the specimen; t h e panel stagnation p o i n t had a l - i n c h standsff distance from t h e nozzle e x i t .

2.

3.
4.
5.

6. Check a l l instrumentation t o ensure t h a t i t i s working

proper1y .
7.

Lower t h e vacuum chamber pressure t o the desired l e v e l .

8.
9.

Cold flow the gases t o ensure proper mass flowrate.

S t a r t the arc and switch over t o n i t r o g e n a t 100 amperes over the desi red c u r r e n t .

10.

Lower the arc c u r r e n t t o the t e s t s e t t i n g . k i t h the 1858 Visicorder turned on a t 10 i p s , i n s e r t the s l u g c a l o r i m e t e r i n t o the arc stream f o r 1 t o 2 seconds and then withdraw i t .

11.

12.

With the Locam camera and t h e 1858 V i s i c o r d e r turned on, i n s e r t the probe o r panel moael i n t o the arc stream w i t h the d u r a t i o n o f the t e s t s t a r t i n g when the model reaches the arc f l o w c e n t e r l i n e as shown i n Figures 6 and 7.
14

E O V

e n e
c,
0 0 E
W

15

L aJ
&I

rn

c
m
c I

aJ
U

t-

0
.r

m
U

16

13.

A f t e r running the test., b r i n g the vacuuiit chamber up t o atmospheric c o n d i t i o n dnd rwovc! the r a d e l froiii the s t i n g .

14.

Give the iiiodel t o the onsitc. technical representative f o r

observations o f the c h a r r i n g and spa11 i n g ( t h e p o s t - t e s t photographs, p o s t - t e s t thickness, and p o s t - t e s t weight w i l l be taken a t NASA). 15.
5.

Repeat steps 1-14 f o r each t e s t model.

RESULTS Table 2 presents t h e t e n c a l i b r a t i o n runs taken f o r both the panel

and the Frsbe c o n f i g u r a t i o n s . probe c o n f i g u r a t i o n t o determin

Seven c a l i b r a t i o n runs were made f o r the t h e stagnation pressure, coldwall heating From t h i s information, the

r a t e , arc current, and chamber pressure.

c e n t e r l i n e enthalpy, c e n t e r l i n e temperatcre, and h o t w a l l heatincj r a t e were calculated. The h o t w a l l / c o l d w a l l c o r r e c t i o n was made using the equation,

Based on the actual f l i g h t data, a surface temperature o f 3 0 ' 50F

was

assumed f o r the h o t w a l l , corresponding t o an enthalpy of 1 3 B t u / l b . 30 Three c a ? i b r a t i o n runs were made f o r t h e panel c o n f i y ~ r a t i o n . The c a l i b r a t i o n runs provided informatior! on the c o l d w a l l heating r a t e , center1 i n e enthalpy, c e n t e r l i n e iemperiture, arc c u r r e n t , chamber p r e s s w e , and

surface pressure across the panel.

From t h e t h i n - s k i n calorimeter, the

coldwall heating r a t e and t h e hotwall heating r a t e a t two temperatures,

3500F and 2000F, were found by c a l c u l a t i o n s .

A t q t a l o f 23 specimens supplied by NASA were t e s t e d during the

program.

Twelve Specimens were t e s t e d i n t h e probe configuration.

Of

17

TULE 2.

CALIBRATION RUNS FOR THE PROBE AND PANEL CONFIGURATIOPiS OF THE SRB-TPS TEST PROGRAM
U

Probe

3148-02

321

509

143

w o
4373
2447 3982

9160

.is3

0.978
1.136
0.888 1.133

113
168

314801 3150-til -02 -02 -03 -03 -04 3151-01 -01

522
224 520 520 525 525 224 520

48t

200
95 174

lrSl0
8019 !M9t 9491 96% 9695 7657

.la8
-1438 .lsl

514

402 482 484

4) 8

514 461 481

23 190 19 07 180 19

4335 4335 2244 4069 &9

3982

.1453
.la
.I875

1.133 1.142 1.142 0.886

1.136 1.136

65 142

55
67

14
45

16 n 4

158

19,s

58

9509
9509

SM

147

70

11 .q

FOLDOUT FRAME

18

Probe

Probe

Probe
U
45

lat=
19."

45 56

51
63

35
9-

41 42

13

15
18

0.087 0.068

0.005 0.005

Panel

Probe
Panel Probe
Piobe Panel

16

43

11 .Q

58

66

3 9 4 4

10

11

0.0791

0.0213

0.0099

FOLDOUT FPAMr

those 12, three soecimep conditions.

were tested a t the low heat load simulating p ume

?he remaining nine specimens were tested a t the high heat oad The results are shown i n rabies 3 ana 4. They The

5intulating f l i g h t conditions.

The other 11 specimens were tested i n the panel configuration. were a l l tested a t the high heat load t o simulate f l i g h t conditions.

results froiii the panel configuration tests are also shown i n Tables 3 and 4.

In Table 3, the exposure time started when the t e s t model entered

i n t o the t e s t stream and ended when the model was withdrawn from the t e s t stream. The centerline temperature i s the actual time the t e s t model was

a t the centerline o f the t e s t stream.

The hotwall heating r a t e i n Table 2 and the t e s t hotwall heating r a t e i n Table 3 were from the probe calorimeter. i n Table 2 was fo the probe calorimeter. rm Also the coldwall heating r a t e

All o f the backwall tem?eratures i n Table 3 were taken from the

Visicorder traces made during the exposure t i m e o f the t e s t model. The post-test photographs o f a l l specimens, c e r t a i n past-test weights, and a l l the post-test thicknesses w i l l be taken a t NASA. The

Dretest photographs and the Visicorder traces o f the t e s t runs were taken
t o NASA by the technical onsite monitor t o be analyzed.

19

TABLE 3 .
llodel

RESULTS FROM TPE TEST!G GF THE SRB-TPS MCITERIALS IN THE ARC P L A S M GENEiVITOR
#ttri a1
p50

D wbe

-Run No.

No.

Config.

- (OF) (OF)

TBYl
93

TBW

bill,
(OF)

TBW2i
(OF)

; I

%st

- 3.M 4-25 4.30 4.20 8.2 8.2 6.0 4.3 8.3

(Btu/ft*-sec
64

3152-01t C-1
3153-01 -02 -03 PC-1 pc-2 PA-3 PA-4 PA-5

Panel
Pmk

2345 2836 3101 2912 2902 2220 2988 2978 3047 2991 2870 2897 3041 2273 2424 2267 2370 2320 2374 2350

82
i20 165 194 '365

4.25
4.4 5.1 5.45 9.1

75 68 69 68 68 76 73 71 75 76 74 74 78 67 68 77 74 76 76 03

75
68 69 68 69

-W
315c01

P50 P50 phtnollc Fileno11c Phenolic Phcnoli c -8" cork "8" cork IM-2

130 159 187 .365 216 207 122 283 138 139 307 238 163
254

85 80 139 142
57

204 205 116 267 128 128 270 224 106 123
151 X

a. 8
5.75 5.0 8.8

76 73 76 76 76 74 73 78
66 68

3155-01, PA-6 -OZ+ PB-1 -02 pe-2

14s 107

a4
71
100 95 74 55
50

-04
315601 -02

.-kt
pE-I

5.5
5.3 8.2 8.4 15.5 15.4 25.5 15.4 15.4 15.4 20.7 25.6 25.5 25.5-

5.56
5.91 9.4 8.6 15.9 16.27 26.1 15.7 16.0 15.65 21.1 26.0 26.1 25.7

-03
3157-01*

E-2 -2

UTA-2 UTA-2

IM-2
Pane1 P50

c-2

-02t A-1
-03t

Phmollc
Phcnolic "6" cork

A-2

24 1 165

77

53 52
54 53

-wt 6-1

X
76 X
X

3158-01t -02t -03

E-1

D 1
E-2

rnA-7 IM-2
MA- 2

284
166 216 264 273 268

141 X
X
X

58 58 54

-041 D2

IM-2

2345
2100 2338

84
94

X
X X

v
PSO
X
X

.Ern cork

97

48

Them were no n u k r 3 themmuplcs on the probe configuration The thcrrpcouplc m mt hooked up s To be nrasured o r weighted a t NASA ? Movies t r k m

FOLDOUT

FRAME

20

Probe %est (Btu/ft*-sec)

POS!

!g!

;re ( i n ;
f6'7

Post ( i n )
.
t
t
t

Renarks Barelf scorched

64
85 8C 139 142 57 149 107 84 71 100 95 74 55 50 53 52 54 53

38.0
19.8 10.7 14.7 14.5

37.624
1'3.710 15.733 14.716 14.401

.e90 .42a

Good
Good

c h a r buildup; 1/32 i n char depth

- 385

-385

, h 3 r burldup; 3/64 i n char depth Glass fiou and outer p l y bubbled; 1/16 i n char depth Glass floued and bubbles occurred; mdel dcbonded a f t e r test; 3/32-1n

char depth 14.6 14.7 14.756 14.685 10.504 10.689 10.078

.3e5

No glass f l o w o r bubbles; model looked good; 3/64 i n char

k d c l looked Model looked Model looked char depth Model iooked

depth

1o.m
10.935 10.218 10.045 11-063 10.239 38.424 57.015 56.4 37.4 38.9 34.8 38.8 34.9

- 428
.429

-387
t

good; glass melted; 1/16 i n char depth good; gooG char; 1/16 i n char depth; no recess good; model suel!ed 1/32 in; good c -; 3/3?-in good; 3/64-in char depth; m e s s 1/32 ir.

- 431
-431 430 -432

t t t
t

Char spalled off; Ts rfacc varied; rcasurable wcess Saw hct char spall; ]Ysuflace avg. 2255F; s l i g h t surface dinole nodel debonded a f t e r shutdown; good model (no spalling); recess = .M in; char = -06 i n 6004 char buildup; f i n a l -32 thick; n i n i n u char erosion i n spots; -10 i n char depth Slight glass melt; debonded a f t e r test; oood model; no recess; -05 i n char depth Slight glass m e l t ; debonded a f t e r test; good model; IIO recess; -08 i n char &pth Good char; :surface 2330 t o 2370'F

37.070 56.092 55.141 36.102

35.976 34.063

-426

- 390
.385
.429

t t

-430 -429 .429 .426 -428 -429

t t t

58
58

34.175 32.409 35.148 35.691

Char saalled o f f Good mdel; stable char; T2 and T3 were ellminated t o save time; TsUrfa.1 237C"F; minor char erosion; crazing T2 and f 3 deleted t o save tine; char soalled o f f ; m j o r surface 2642F erosio7; Ts,rface Good stable char almost t o aluninrm back; minor surface e.T;SiOn; charred surface crazed Good char buildup; surface crazed; 76 = 320F I n 3.5 sec a f t e r ShJtdovn Ad21 ,ilmort a l l charred; TB = 387F a f t e r shutdown

54
48

38.2
37.5

3 FOLDOUT FRAME

ORtGINAL Pi3'3s !s' OF POOR QUALITY

a : m
w

r-

-.-

-3
u1

2
m

-4
-4

33 1 . v rnl

\'

I +
LL 0

v ,
0

z
D

*
c

.j
-

UI
0

0'

c m

m E
0

N
1

3 oj P =:

e
w

.0
7

I I I N C )

0000
I I
-

Uc

7
~
r-

,-NO-

'3000
, 1 1 1

,rum

000

0000
h
1 1 1

0000

ma
l l 1

-N
I m

00
I
7

m u 7

- r n n

m P )

a m
7

m c o

z
I

v ,

21

RE FE RENCE
1.

Zoby, E. V . , "Empirical Stagnation-Point Heat-Transfer Relation i n Several Gas M i xtures a t High Enthalpy l e v e l s ,I' National Aeronauti cs and Space Administration, June 24, 1968.

22