How do ablative materials protect the underlying vehicle structure?
Answer
The outer layer sacrifices itself, and the resulting hot gas layer carries heat away.
The sacrificial burning process creates a hot gas layer that insulates the vehicle structure underneath, effectively carrying the extreme heat away from the remaining materials.
Related Questions
What is the primary cause of extreme heating during atmospheric reentry?What is the fundamental purpose of the Thermal Protection System (TPS)?For which type of mission are sacrificial ablative shields generally considered ideal?How do ablative materials protect the underlying vehicle structure?Which Shuttle component protected the absolute hottest zones like the nose cap and wing leading edges?What is the composition of Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels?What was the primary structural temperature goal for the aluminum skin beneath the HRSI tiles on the Orbiter's underbelly?Where were the flexible Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation (FRCI) blankets typically installed on the Shuttle Orbiter?What catastrophic risk is associated with poor installation or misalignment between TPS components?What is one significant shift in material science driving new heat shield development away from the Shuttle era design?