Electromagnetic shielding of thermal protection system for hypersonic vehicles

• Published in: Acta astronautica 2013-06, Vol.87, p.30-39
• Main Authors: Albano, M., Micheli, D., Gradoni, G., Morles, R.B., Marchetti, M., Moglie, F., Mariani Primiani, V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assembly; Carbon; Carbon foam; Carbon silicon carbide; Carbon/carbon; Electromagnetic shielding; Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness; Hypersonic vehicles; Microwaves; Numerical simulation; Reverberation chamber; Shielding; Space re-entry vehicle; Thermal protection; Thermal protection system; Tile (material)
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2013.02.003

The numerical simulation and the measurement of electromagnetic shielding at microwave frequencies of thermal protection system for hypersonic vehicles is presented using nested reverberation chamber. An example of a possible thermal protection system for a re-entry vehicle is presented. This system based on carbon material is electromagnetically characterized. The characterization takes into account not only the materials but also the final assembly configuration of the thermal protection system. The frequency range is 2–8GHz. The results of measurements and simulations show that the microwave shielding effectiveness of carbon materials is above 60dB for a single tile and that the tile inter-distance is able to downgrade the shielding effectiveness on the average to about 40dB. ► The tile-to-tile gap in a thermal protection system has been analyzed. ► Electromagnetic shielding capability was measured and numerically computed. ► Material losses enhance the gap field attenuation compared to good conductors. ► A typical gap of 1mm ensures at least 40dB within the 2–8GHz frequency range.