Energy Deposition on Analogous Vehicle Panel: Thermal–Structural Response

A proof-of-concept experimental methodology and results are presented for the simulation of direct thermal energy deposition on a hypersonic vehicle panel analog. The methodology involved uniformly heating ceramic plates via joule heating with localized regions of thermal nonuniformity achieved via plate profiling. A parametric study was first performed to quantify the key parameters governing the level of simulated energy deposition achieved. The plate material, profile size, and amperage used to energize the plate were varied in this study, with a total of 108 cases analyzed. The overall plate thermal response, the [Formula: see text] achieved over the profile section, and the plate deflection were examined in detail. Configurations resulting in high overall plate temperatures with large [Formula: see text] in the profile section and appreciable deflection were then selected for benchtop testing. Wall temperatures in the range of 686–1144 K were achieved experimentally with peak [Formula: see text] T in the range of 46–427 K. One plate was visually observed to deflect on the order of 3 mm. The results from this demonstrate the suitability of the presented methodology for generating nonuniform, yet controlled temperature profiles on analogous vehicle panels for future shock-tunnel testing.