Wind Tunnel High Temperature Heater Element

ABSTRACT: C9 Proposes to Develop a high Temperature Heating Element to Augment the Wind Tunnel at AEDC. The element will be fabricated by molding a creamic composite molding compound using methods developed for other defense and commercial applications. The element will be capable of surface temperatures in excess of 3200DegF to heat the wind tunnel air to at least 2800DegF. The material will be made by molding high temperature refractory powders with a small % of ceramic forming polymers. A porosity free element will be achievde by multiple reimpregnations of preceramic polymer and the resistivity of the ends will be lowered by adding low resistivity fillers and dopants to the molding compound. Oxidation resistance will be achieved by adding refractory fillers to the molding compound but multilayer CVD coatings will also be tried for comparison. BENEFIT: Produce a heating elemnt that meets AEDC's immediate needs for testing hypervelocity engines. Develop a market for high temperature heating elemenst to replace Moly-Disilicide heating elements in laboratory applications and SiC elements in high temperature oxidizing applications.