Fibrous ceramic aerobrake

• US 5,310,592 A
• Filed: 09/28/1990
• Issued: 05/10/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Garrigus, Darryl F., Baker, Anna L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epstein, Henry F.
• Application Number:
  US07/589,967
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 428/117, 428/288, 428/698, 428/116, 428/118, 428/375, 428/368, 52/806, 244/113, 244/158 A, 244/160
• US Class Current: 428/117
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 18/00 Layered products essentially comprising ceramics, e.g. refractory products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 11/002 Hollow glass particles
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 14/002 the non-glass component being in the form of fibres, filaments, yarns, felts or woven material
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 14/004 the non-glass component being in the form of particles or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/02 Fibres; Filaments; Yarns; Felts; Woven material
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/04 Particles; Flakes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/06 Whiskers ss
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/10 Superconducting materials
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/20 Glass-ceramics matrix
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2214/32 comprising a sol-gel process
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/441 Alkoxides, e.g. methoxide, tert-butoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/522 Oxidic
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5232 Silica or silicates other than aluminosilicates, e.g. quartz
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5236 Zirconia
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5244 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5256 Two-dimensional, e.g. woven structures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/526 characterised by the length of the fibers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5264 characterised by the diameter of the fibers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5276 Whiskers, spindles, needles or pins
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5436 : micrometer sized, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/616 : Liquid infiltration of green bodies or pre-forms
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 : Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/96 : Properties of ceramic products, e.g. mechanical properties such as strength, toughness, wear resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/064 : based on alumina or aluminates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/10 : Glass interlayers, e.g. frit or flux
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/343 : Alumina or aluminates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/348 : Zirconia, hafnia, zirconates or hafnates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/365 : Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/38 : Fiber or whisker reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/584 : the different additives being fibers or whiskers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/61 : Joining two substrates of which at least one is porous by infiltrating the porous substrate with a liquid, such as a molten metal, causing bonding of the two substrates, e.g. joining two porous carbon substrates by infiltrating with molten silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/68 : Forming laminates or joining articles wherein at least one substrate contains at least two different parts of macro-size, e.g. one ceramic substrate layer containing an embedded conductor or electrode
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/704 : of one or more of the ceramic layers or articles
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 30/02 : containing fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/117 : Composites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/565 : based on silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6303 : Inorganic additives
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/80 : Fibres, filaments, whiskers, platelets, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/08 : by adding porous substances
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/10 : using liquefied gases, e.g. liquid air for cooling semiconductor devices H01L23/445
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/046 : characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 21/04 : of ceramic; of concrete; of natural stone
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/203 : comprising high-Tc ceramic materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24157 : Filled honeycomb cells [e.g., solid substance in cavities, etc.]

Abstract

An ablative fibrous ceramic article comprises a honeycomb core having a plurality of cells, fibrous ceramic insulation (including fibers, microballoons, microparticles, or mixtures thereof) at least partially filling each cell of the core and forming a porous sheet on one face of the core, and, optionally, an ablative material infused into a portion of the porous sheet. Such an article is a candidate for fabricating an effective lunar/Martian aerobrake.

Claims

1. An ablative fibrous ceramic article comprising:

a honeycomb core having a plurality of cells;

fiberform ceramic insulation at least partially filling each cell of the core and forming a porous sheet having an outer edge covering one face of the core; and

an ablative material infused into a portion of the porous sheet.

2. The ceramic article of claim 1 wherein the insulation includes microparticles.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein the insulation is ceramic microparticles, microballoons, whiskers, fibers, or mixtures thereof.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the insulation includes an emissivity agent.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein the insulation includes an intermediate ceramic fabric reinforcement.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein the insulation is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) ceramic fibers or microballoons, and

(b) ablative particles or fibers.

7. The article of claim 1 further comprising a ceramic sol gel binder within the insulation.

8. The article of claim 7 wherein the sol gel binder contains alumina.

9. The article of claim 1 formed into an aerobrake.

10. A fibrous ceramic article comprising:

a honeycomb core having a plurality of cells;

fiberform ceramic insulation at least partially filling each cell of the core and forming a porous sheet covering the core on one face, and having an outer edge, the insulation comprising at least two different ceramic materials graded in composition across the thickness of the insulation; and

, optionally

an ablative material infused into a portion of the porous sheet.

11. The article of claim 10 wherein the different ceramic materials are at least one refractory ceramic and at least one ultrarefractory ceramic at the outer edge of the porous sheet.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein the ultrarefractory ceramic includes zirconia.

13. The article of claim 12 further comprising a ceramic sol gel binder within the insulation.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein the binder is applied in a series of infusions and cures and wherein at least the first cure occurs after gelling the binder with ammonia.

15. The article of claim 13 further comprising an emissivity agent incorporated into the zirconia portion of the insulation.

16. The article of claim 10 formed into an aerobrake.