Blueshift Showcases AeroZero TPS Polyimide at SAMPE North America

Blueshift, a thermal protection systems (TPS) technology expert, is at SAMPE North America to showcase the capability of its AeroZero® TPS Polyimide for defending carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites against temperatures up to 500 °C. The product is specifically designed for use in space, aerospace and other high-temperature applications.

Modess Seyednezhad, Senior Thermal Engineer at Blueshift, will speak. She'll outline the challenges CFRP composites have when exposed to extreme heat. With all the accolades they garner for being strong, lightweight and durable, CFRP materials thermally degrade, delaminate and crack their matrices if they're subjected to extreme environments. The results have far-reaching implications on performance in the harsh environments where CFRP is commonly deployed.

Blueshift's solution is its just-developed AeroZero® TPS Polyimide, which is a heat-resistant and light-weight barrier. The product has been thoroughly tested compared to other insulating products such as cork and has been shown to be capable of withstanding direct heat sources of up to 500 °C.

As part of the talk, Modess will give data from experiments that have been specifically arranged to monitor the ‘cold side' temperature – the far side from the heat source – and confirm Blueshift's thermal modelling. This modelling replicates the test configuration, geometry and boundary conditions, and has two key objectives:

• Develop and verify a predictive model to forecast the ‘cold side' temperature of CFRP at extreme temperatures (e.g. 2,000 °C), outside in-house testing facility
  
• Demonstrate AeroZero® TPS Polyimide insulation performance compared to cork and other commercially available materials

Results show unequivocally that AeroZero® TPS Polyimide offers increased thermal protection at less than half the thickness of cork. With four layers of material, insulation performance increases by 38% greater than that of cork under identical test conditions.

Speaking of the opportunity to display at SAMPE, Modess stated:
“SAMPE is one of the most important dates on our calendar and I'm looking forward to demonstrating to our customers how our AeroZero® TPS Polyimide product surpasses alternative materials in flexibility and durability for use in design applications.”

For further information, visit www.blueshiftmaterials.com