Silicon carbide is an ultra-high-temperature ceramic proposed for hypersonic flight applications. However, its use is limited at conditions where oxidation causes aggressive material degradation and a surface temperature “jump” phenomenon. Oxidation is a coupled process, depending on both boundary layer and surface chemistry. An equilibrium surface chemistry model for silicon carbide oxidation is coupled to a nonequilibrium computational fluid dynamics framework, accounting for gas–surface reactions, blowing of oxidation products, and a detailed surface energy balance. Boundary-layer analyses demonstrate a 20–40% increase in the chemical diffusive heating during passive-to-active transition, and predicted steady-state temperatures agree with experimental measurements within 3%. Simulated emission spectra show good qualitative agreement with spectra measured in high-enthalpy experiments.
Boundary-Layer Thermochemical Analysis During Passive and Active Oxidation of Silicon Carbide
Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer ; 34 , 3 ; 504-515
2020-01-10
12 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English