Instrumentation for carbon-carbon structures in extreme environments

An integrated measurement sensor for carbon-carbon (C-C) structures is needed for testing in arc jet facilities to meet testing needs for current and future hypersonic flight systems. A commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) high frequency response pressure sensor and a fabricated temperature, heat flux, and recession sensor built directly into a C-C substrate will be integrated into a test article for future arc jet testing. Utilizing a redundant sealing architecture, this work will also demonstrate that the as-designed sensor assembly and integration methodology enables rapid repair and/or replacement of the individual sensors on the assembly if a single sensing device fails in the field. The entire sensor assembly does not require active cooling and therefore this test assembly is suitable for incorporation into future flight test programs. The sensor assembly will utilize a super high temperature Kulite pressure transducer for pressure measurements, and one of two types of temperature / heat flux sensors. The first design uses a novel W-Re thin-film thermocouple (TFTC) array for surface temperature measurements, subsurface temperature measurements, and C-C recession rate. The other design, implemented for schedule risk reduction, uses a conventional temperature plug design based on individual thermocouples buried in the C-C substrate at known depths.