EFFECTIVENESS OF A POLYIMIDE AEROGEL-BASED LAMINATE TPS IN PROTECTING CFRP COMPOSITES UNDER HIGH-TEMPERATURE CONDUCTIVE CONDITIONS

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are commonly used in high-temperature applications; however, their performance is limited by their inability to withstand extreme temperatures, leading to degradation and failure in demanding environments. This paper demonstrates the benefits of thin, light weight, Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) that use polyimide aerogel films as the core insulating technology. The laminate TPS offer robust performance across a wide range of transient thermal events, effectively extending the operational limits of CFRP composites for space, aerospace, and other extreme heat environments. In this study, polyimide aerogel-based laminate TPS were adhered to a CFRP composite panel and exposed to direct heat with a contact heater at 300 °C to 500 °C for a maximum of 20 minutes. Thermocouples were placed at the panel surface and backside to measure the surface temperature and cold side temperatures, respectively. At a 400 °C surface temperature, with four layers of polyimide aerogel and one layer of graphite, a 172 °C drop in cold side temperature was measured. The delta temperature increased to 242 °C at 500 °C surface temperature, demonstrating the effectiveness of the thin TPS to protect the underlying CFRP composite. This paper details the effect of laminate configuration and thickness on the efficiency of insulation at surface temperatures beyond which the neat carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite panel degrades.