Vascular Transpiration in a Carbon-Carbon Composite Leading Edge

Le résumé fourni par la source

Carbon-carbon (C/C) composites are among the few structural materials capable of surviving the aerothermal environment of hypersonic flight, yet integrating active cooling into a monolithic C/C leading edge without thermal expansion mismatch, assembly complexity and flow impingement has not previously been demonstrated. Heat pipe embedded C/C structures are constrained by coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch, while porous transpiration-cooled designs exhibit poor coolant outflow at the stagnation point, which is the region of highest heat flux. This paper presents the fabrication of a 2D laminate C/C composite leading edge incorporating integrated vascular coolant channels and engineered interconnected porosity within a 3 mm shell for dual mode active cooling. The 0.4 mm diameter vascular channels were formed using a Vaporization of Sacrificial Component (VaSC) approach and survived densification cycle without blockage. Schlieren imaging under argon flow at 1000 psi supply pressure on a representative piece demonstrated a continuous coherent surface film, with a steady 400 psi outlet pressure confirming sustained transpiration through the porous matrix.

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