Achievements obtained within ATLLAS-II on Aero-Thermal Loaded Material Investigations for High-Speed Vehicles

Kurzfassung

The co-founded FP7 EC project ATLLAS-II had as objectives the identification and assessment of advanced lightweight and high-temperature resistant materials for high-speed vehicles up to Mach 6. The material requirements were defined through an in-depth feasibility study of a Mach 5-6 vehicle. The consortium could build upon a set of validated tools, material databases and valuable experience acquired during ATLLAS-I. Starting with a preliminary aero-thermal-structural high-speed vehicle design process, a multi-disciplinary optimization and experimental testing resulted into a detailed layout of a high-speed vehicle. Special attention was given to alleviate sonic boom and emissions at high altitudes. Throughout the design process, the aero-thermal loads defined the requirements for the proposed materials and cooling techniques needed for both the airframe and propulsion components. The former focused on sharp leading edges, intakes and skin materials each coping with different external aero-thermal loads. The latter were exposed to internal combustion driven loads. Both metallic (Titanium Matrix Composites and Ni-based Hollow Sphere Stackings) and non-metallic materials (Ceramic Matrix Composites and Ultra High Temperature Ceramics) were evaluated. Combined aero-thermal-structural experiments tested various materials at extreme conditions representative for high flight Mach numbers. Both static and cyclic tests at low and high temperatures were performed including the evaluation of their durability in terms of long duration exposure to the harsh flight conditions. The materials assigned to dedicated engine components were exposed to realistic combustion environments. These were combined with passive or active cooling technologies developed in ATLLAS-I.