The Boeing Company

Kelly Jonathan Courter

Patrick Jacob Mobers

Bryan Clark Brewer

Joel E Slenk

A lightweight ablator formulation has been developed which offers superior thermal performance compared to current state of the art ablator formulations. The lightweight ablator formulations described herein typically include at least one endothermically decomposing (energy absorbing) material with a fluxing agent resulting in significantly reduced backface temperature response and a more stable surface. According to one implementation the ablator composition comprises about 30 to about 70 percent by weight of a base silicone resin, about 25 to about 67 percent by weight of a low-density filler, about 3 to about 7 percent by weight of a curing agent and greater than 0 and up to about 10 percent by weight of a boron-containing compound.

High efficiency erosion resistant silicone ablator composition

A vehicle ablator system ('VAS') is described that includes a reinforcing core and ablative material that has been packed and cured into the reinforcing core. In general, the VAS includes the reinforcing core that is attached to a vehicle structure such as, for example, a reentry vehicle or hypersonic vehicle prior to the ablative material being packed into the reinforcing core.

Vehicle ablator system

Systems and methods for measuring a contour match between adjacent components are disclosed. In one embodiment, at least two pressure sensors are located between adjacent components. Each pressure sensor is adapted to obtain a pressure measurement at a location a predetermined distance away from the other pressure sensors, and to output a pressure measurement for each sensor location. An output device is adapted to receive the pressure measurements from at least two pressure sensors and display the pressure measurements. In one aspect, the pressure sensors include flexible thin film pressure sensors. In accordance with other aspects of the invention, a method is provided for measuring a contour match between two interfacing components including measuring at least one pressure applied to at least one sensor between the interfacing components.

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Tustin, CA, United States of America

Kelly Jonathan Courter