Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Heat Transfer In Flexible Two-Dimensional Woven Fiber Ceramic Materials, Rodrigo Penide Fernandez

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Flexible thermal protection materials made from two-dimensional woven ceramics fibers are of significant interest for hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerators being developed by NASA for future missions on Mars and other planets. A key component of the thermal shield is a heat-resistant outer ceramic fabric that must withstand harsh aero-thermal atmospheric entry conditions. However, a predictive understanding of heat conduction processes in complex woven-fiber ceramic materials under deformation is currently lacking. This dissertation presents a combined experimental and computational study of thermal conductivity in alumina-based Nextel-440 and silicon carbide Hi-Nicalon 5-harness-satin woven fabrics, using the hot-disk transient plane source method and …

Using Dielectric Characterization To Study Transport And Thermal Properties Of Gas/Supercritical Fluid Embedded Polymer Solution, Xiangxiao Yao

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Gas/supercritical fluid (SCF) and polymer mixtures are applied broadly in industry, such as rigid and light foam products for aircraft use, foamed cushion in chairs or shoes, and gas separation membranes for capturing methane from landfill gas. To understand the gas transport properties and polymer thermal properties of the mixture, we detected the dielectric properties of the mixture at two conditions and developed a novel self-designed system for high temperature and high pressure measurement.

The transport properties of physical blowing agents in polymers is viewed as a critical parameter controlling the final foam product’s foam density, cell density, and cell …