Numerical modeling of the effect of heat and mass transfer in porous low-temperature heat insulation in composite material structures on the magnitude of stresses which develop

The stressed state of multilayer low-temperature heat insulation for a cryogenic fuel tank is considered. Account is taken of heat and mass transfer in foam plastic (the main heat insulation material) occurring at cryogenic temperatures. A method is developed for solving a set of differential equations and boundary conditions. Numerical studies of the main features of these processes are performed. It is established that below 200 K the stresses which arise in foam plastic markedly exceed the ultimate strength for this material. Stresses develop as a result of both a reduction in temperature and a drop in pressure in the foam plastic pores connected with material cooling. On the basis of the results obtained it is established that the combination of thermophysical processes which occur in foam plastic during cooling to cryogenic temperatures leads to changes in the stress-strained state of structure, which should be considered in planning aerospace technology.Scientific Research Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitmykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 384–393, May–June, 1997.