Structural Studies of Two Aerobrake Heatshield Panel Concepts

by John T. Dorsey, NASA Langley Research Cent, Hampton, United States,
James W. Dyess, NASA Langley Research Cent, Hampton, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space III

Abstract:

Structural sizing and performance data are presented for two different aerobrake hexagonal heatshield panel structural concepts. One concept features a sandwich construction with an aluminum honeycomb core and thin quasi-isotropic graphite-epoxy face sheets. The other concept features a skin-rib isogrid construction with thin quasi-isotropic graphite-epoxy skins, and graphite-epoxy ribs oriented at 0?, +60?, and -60? along the panel. Linear static, linear bifurcation buckling, and nonlinear static analyses were performed to compare the structural performance of the two panel concepts and assess their feasibility for a Lunar Transfer Vehicle aerobrake application.

Subject Headings: Panels (structural) | Structural analysis | Sandwich panels | Synthetic materials | Linear analysis | Epoxy | Construction materials

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