Title: MICRO-TOMOGRAPHY BASED ANALYSIS OF THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM MATERIALS - OVERVIEW

Authors: Samantha R Bernstein, Colin Yee, Steven Kim, Kaelyn Wagner, Dula Parkinson, Joseph H. Koo

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.23.0039

Abstract: The microstructures of thermal protection systems (TPS) materials were characterized using the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)’s Beamline 8.3.2 at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). The Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Micro-Tomography instrument allowed for non-destructive 3-Dimensional imaging of 72 different samples of TPS materials. The tomography voxels were used to reconstruct images using the rendering software Dragonfly. These images are examined and compared to create new learnings about the microstructure differences between different thermal protection materials. Challenges associated with the preparation of samples, the use of this technique, computational requirements, and the limitations of the rendered images are also discussed. Future work includes the analysis of material properties, such as tortuosity, thermal and electrical conductivity, and porosity using NASA’s Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software. Additionally, machine learning methods are being applied to investigate and quantify the microstructural characteristics that lead to the optimal ablative performance

References: [1] Coindreau, O., et al., Benefits of X-Ray CMT for the Modeling of C/C Composites. Advanced Engineering Materials, 2011. 13(3): p. 178-185. [2] Salvo, L., et al., X-ray micro-tomography an attractive characterisation technique in materials science. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2003. 200: p. 273-286. [3] Landis, E.N. and D.T. Keane, X-ray microtomography. Materials Characterization, 2010. 61(12): p. 1305-1316. [4] Maire, E., X-Ray Tomography Applied to the Characterization of Highly Porous Materials. Annual Review of Materials Research, 2012. 42(1): p. 163-178. [5] Natali, M., J.M. Kenny, and L. Torre, Science and technology of polymeric ablative materials for thermal protection systems and propulsion devices: A review. Progress in Materials Science, 2016. 84: p. 192-275. [6] Uyanna, O. and H. Najafi, Thermal protection systems for space vehicles: A review on technology development, current challenges and future prospects. Acta Astronautica, 2020. 176: p. 341-356. [7] MacDowell, A., et al., X-ray micro-tomography at the Advanced Light Source. SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications. Vol. 8506. 2012: SPIE. [8] Laboratory, L.B. MicroCT Home. [cited 2022; Available from: https://microct.lbl.gov/. [9] Systems, O.R. Dragonfly Pro. 2022 [cited 2022; Available from: https://info.dragonfly-pro.com/home.html. [10] Program, N.T.T. Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA). [cited 2022; Available from: https://software.nasa.gov/software/ARC-17920-1A. [11] Panerai, F., et al., Micro-tomography based analysis of thermal conductivity, diffusivity and oxidation behavior of rigid and flexible fibrous insulators. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2017. 108: p. 801-811. [12] Francesco Panerai, Brody Bessire, Justin Haskins, Collin Foster, Harold Barnard, Eric Stern and Jay Feldman, Morphological Evolution of Ordinary Chondrite Microstructure during Heating: Implications for Atmospheric Entry. The Planetary Science Journal, 2021. 2.

Conference: SAMPE 2023

Publication Date: 2023/04/17

SKU: TP23-0000000039

Pages: 12

Price: $24.00