Re-entry vehicles generally use control surfaces (e.g., rudders, body flaps, and elevons) to steer or guide them as they pass into and through the Earth s atmosphere. High temperature seals are required around control surfaces both along hinge lines and in areas where control surface edges seal against the vehicle body to limit hot gas ingestion and the transfer of heat to underlying low-temperature structures. Working with the NASA Johnson Space Center, the Seals Team at the NASA Glenn Research Center completed a series of tests on the baseline seal design for the rudder/fin control surface interfaces of the X-38 vehicle. This seal application was chosen as a case study to evaluate a currently available control surface seal design for applications in future re-entry vehicles. The structures of the rudder/fin assembly and its associated seals are shown in the following illustration.


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    Title :

    Control Surface Seals Investigated for Re- Entry Vehicles


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2003


    Size :

    4 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Control Surface Seals Investigated for Re- Entry Vehicles

    Dunlap, Patrick H. / Steinetz, Bruce M. | NTRS | 2003


    Investigations of Control Surface Seals for Re-Entry Vehicles

    Dunlap, Jr., Patrick / Steinetz, Bruce / Curry, D. et al. | AIAA | 2002


    Rudder/Fin Seals Investigated for the X-38 Re-Entry Vehicle

    P. H. Dunlap / B. M. Steinetz | NTIS | 2002



    Further investigations of control surface seals for the X-38 re-entry vehicle

    Dunlap, Jr., Patrick / Steinetz, Bruce / Curry, David et al. | AIAA | 2001