Trista Yuting MA, Nam Kyeun KIM, Tom ALLEN
DOI Number: N/A
Conference number: HiSST-2025-361
Though carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have been extensively researched and used as structural components in aerospace applications, their relatively low thermal resistance has limited their adoption in high-speed vehicles. Integrating film cooling with CFRP structures has the potential to decrease thermal degradation, extending their use towards moderate heat flux zones in high-speed vehicles and pushing working temperatures beyond the conventional capabilities of CFRPs. However, no studies have been conducted to date on the coupled mechanical and thermal behaviour of film-cooled CFRPs under high temperatures, particularly over 500°C. This study investigates the mechanical
degradation of film-cooled CFRP laminates having diameter, smaller than 1 mm perforations, as well as quantifying their thermal response. The laminate is exposed to steady-state heat flux ranging from 11.6 kW/m2 to 30 kW/m2 for 255 seconds to obtain its film cooling effectiveness using eight type-K thermocouples. Preliminary experimental results indicate a surface temperature reduction up to 55% on a 3mm-thick CFRP laminate. A hole-diameter-to-thickness (d/t) ratio of equal to 0.1, corresponding to a hole diameter of 0.3mm demonstrated no reduction in tensile and compressive strength.