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On The Space Shuttle Wing Thermal-Structural Analysis, Kumar Krishna Tamma
On The Space Shuttle Wing Thermal-Structural Analysis, Kumar Krishna Tamma
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations
A finite element approach for efficient thermal-structural analysis of structures with thermal protection systems (TPS) is described. The approach is applied to Space Shuttle wing structure configurations subjected to reentry heating. New two and three-dimensional finite elements are developed to model heat transfer in the TPS and supporting structure. A typical TPS/Structural element predicts transient nonlinear temperature variations through the TPS thickness and detailed structural temperatures at the TPS/Structure interface. The accuracy of the TPS/Structure approach in two and three-dimensions is evaluated by comparisons with the conventional approach for various configurations of the wing structure. The results indicate that the …