SEMINAR

The State Key Lab of
High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure
Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
中国科学院上海硅酸盐研究所高性能陶瓷和超微结构国家重点实验室 

The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) Activities in the Field of  Hot Structures

 Speaker

 Dr. Luigi Scatteia

CIRA – Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali
Capua (CE) ITALY

Abstract

The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) Activities in the Field of Hot Structures
Luigi Scatteia
CIRA – Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali
Capua (CE) ITALY

CIRA is the main pole of aerospace research in Italy. The centre represents an aggregation point for aerospace industries in Italy, with the objective to develop research activities, experimentation, production and exchange of information, specific personnel training in aeronautics and space, also through the participation to European and international programmes.

Among CIRA research activities, particular relevance is vested by enabling technologies for re-entry. CIRA has led in the past a national program aimed at the development of a flying test-bed for re-entry technology, the Unmanned Space Vehicle (USV). Moreover, CIRA site hosts a large scale Plasma Wind Tunnel test facility.

Hence, in the past years, various projects have been carried out by CIRA within the aforementioned technological frames in order to investigate the applicability of UHTC materials to the manufacturing of slender-shaped hot structures. These projects have dealt with basic materials characterization, as well as with engineering issues related to mechanical couplings of complex-shaped parts.

The material research culminated into the long-duration, ultra high temperature plasma-torch test of a small nose cone demonstrator, while the engineering activities led to the manufacturing of several structural parts and prototypes, many of which were tested in the plasma wind tunnel.

This presentation will provide an insight into all the pros and cons of the UHTC technology, as evaluated during CIRA research on this class of materials. Also objective of this presentation is to give a consistent perspective on future directions for the possible successful adoption of this materials in space applications.