Development of high-performance thermal shielding for space travel

Abstract

Aerogel is a fascinating material system with uniquely high porous structure, consisting of 99.8% air, leading to properties with low density, high surface area and low thermal conductivity. They have been used in numerous application such as laser experiments, sensors (ultrasonic and gas), nuclear particle detection, thermal insulation, waste management, high explosive research and X-ray research. This thesis is focusing on the development of thermal insulation using aerogel suitable for use in extreme environments, the evaluation of material is obtained from the modelling dataset. Using the material properties from the literature a 3D composite slab model is created using SOLIDWORKS and is been analysed using ANSYS with environmental conditions. Numerous studies have been accomplished with the coating preparation of aerogel and its application on different materials. In this thesis, the material has been selected as a carbon-fibre slab and the coating is done using aerogel supported with various binders. Finally, from this thesis, a superlative binder is been found and discussed in the results. The report demonstrates the novel technique to coat aerogel on top of a composite without losing its properties and offering a way towards rapid manufacture of these advanced structures.