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@article{209305,
        author = {Piyush Dutta},
        title = {Thermal Performance Analysis of a Multilayer Honeycomb Heat Shield for Re-entry Capsules},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {5},
        pages = {1368-1370},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=209305},
        abstract = {Re-entry capsules experience severe aerodynamic heating during atmospheric descent, making an effective Thermal Protection System (TPS) essential for protecting the vehicle and its internal components. This study investigates a lightweight five-layer TPS consisting of an outer ablative layer, adhesive layers, a hexagonal honeycomb core, inner insulation, and a metallic structural plate. Five different material combinations are evaluated to examine their influence on heat transfer and inner-wall temperature under representative re-entry conditions. A detailed three-dimensional honeycomb geometry is developed and analyzed using steady-state thermal simulations in ANSYS. The outer surface is subjected to a representative temperature of approximately 2060 K, while cabin-side convection is applied at the inner surface. The simulated temperature distributions and depth-wise thermal gradients are compared with NASA reference data for validation. The results show that all five configurations significantly reduce the external temperature, producing inner-wall temperatures in the range of approximately 320–780 K. Among the tested configurations, Combination 5 provides the lowest inner-surface temperature, demonstrating the benefit of combining a low-conductivity ablative material with a Nomex honeycomb core. The results highlight the importance of material selection and honeycomb-core design in achieving effective thermal protection while maintaining low structural mass.},
        keywords = {Thermal Protection System (TPS), Re-entry Capsule, Aerodynamic Heating, Honeycomb Core, Ablative Material, Thermal Analysis, ANSYS, Heat Transfer, Nomex Honeycomb, Thermal Insulation.},
        month = {October},
        }