Silicon carbide ceramics provide exceptional resistance against corrosion, wear and high temperature conditions. Learn about how these advanced materials comprise bulletproof ceramic plates found in industry-leading armor products.
Learn the various production methods employed to manufacture silicon carbide ceramics. Each process offers distinct advantages when manufacturing this hard-wearing material.
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Reinforced Oxidation-Resistant Composite (TUFROC)
TUFROC is the state-of-the-art in low-cost and reusable spacecraft thermal protection systems (TPS). This two-piece system comprises of a porous silica substrate with an embedded carbon cap. NASA recently made updates to these formulations that result in significant increases in high heating capability and reusability; as such, Advanced TUFROC tiles experienced significantly lower surface temperatures under identical aero-convective heating conditions than standard TUFROC tiles.
These improvements, combined with TUFROC’s signature characteristics, allow it to withstand both mechanical and atmospheric re-entry stresses. Furthermore, its insulating capabilities enable it to endure high-speed atmospheric reentry heat loads.
TUFROC is an ideal material choice for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser vehicle and future spacecraft utilizing the BFR/Super Heavy rocket. Flight testing of TUFROC at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has already started; and production plans can also be explored with this material much cheaper than carbon-carbon tiles that were common among prior-generation space vehicles.
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Reinforced Insulative Composite (TUFRIC)
Silicon carbide ceramic plates, tiles and liners are widely utilized as corrosion-resistant materials in various industries. For instance, they may be utilized as an alumina silicate ceramic lining in vertical tank distillation furnaces, copper electrolytic cells, rectification furnace trays and aluminum melting furnace lining; as an arc plate in zinc powder furnaces and thermocouple protection tubes used in nonferrous metal smelting processes; cutting tools or mechanical seal parts within machinery industries, etc.
Silicon carbide refractories in aerospace applications are exposed to extreme temperatures during ascent and reentry, creating stress on surfaces that need protection from high heat fluxes and stresses. TUFROC’s innovation provides a lower cost alternative to Lockheed LI-900 tiles currently used on NASA’s Space Shuttle Orbiter to provide surface protection against fluxes of heat fluxes and stresses.
TUFROC is built upon 30 years of Space Shuttle Program lessons learned and leverages them to offer a high-performance, low-density thermal barrier with unparalleled performance in meeting intense heat and stress during ascent, re-entry, and return. It can maintain its shape under pressure gradients and vibroacoustic environments as well as resist changes in size or surface texture from exposure to extreme environments during reentry.
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Reinforced Thermal Protection System (TUFROC)
TUFROC combines the low density, high insulative properties of ceramic with the superior strength and stability of silicon carbide for enhanced space vehicle reentry heating of 2900+ degrees Fahrenheit for multiple missions while simultaneously lowering launch costs while supporting more commercial payload capacity and internal vehicle volume. This combination enables NASA’s space vehicles to withstand repeated reentry temperatures of over 2900 degF without incurring costly launch fees or risking mission success.
Tuffroc tiles feature an exposed ceramic cap covered with an HETC formulation and an adjacent, insulator base material coated with it – both elements being configured into functionally gradient composites with gaps allowing differential thermal expansion between materials.
Silicon carbide wear-resistant plates, tiles, and liners are commonly utilized in production systems like cyclones, tubes, hoppers, pipes, conveyor belts, and chutes to avoid metal-on-metal contact that causes wear-and-tear while prolonging equipment lifespan through reduced maintenance expenditures. TUFROC products stand up well against harsh oxidation conditions found within such environments while remaining four times tougher than comparable nitride bonded silica products.
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Reinforced Thermal Protection System (TUFRIC)
TUFRIC is a lightweight thermal protection system (TPS) developed at NASA Ames and currently flight tested on the USAF X-37B aircraft. This low density high temperature capacity composite made of treated carbonaceous and fibrous insulations boasting graded surface treatments to accommodate different thermal expansion rates of individual component materials.
TUFRIC is an advanced material with superior temperature strength, corrosion resistance and impact abrasion resistance properties that enables it to withstand high thermal shock conditions as well as chemical oxidation conditions – qualities which make TUFRIC serve five to seven times longer than alumina ceramics.
TUFRIC’s low thermal conductivity enables spacecraft to utilize more payload and internal volume while helping maintain aerodynamic stability during hypersonic reentry phases of flight.
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