Design and Performance Analysis of a Composite Thermal Protection Structure for a Robot Pan–Tilt

Abstract

To improve the adaptability of the robot pan–tilt to the high-temperature environment, a design scheme for a composite thermal protection structure composed of aerogel felt, hollow glass, and skin is proposed. The effects of aerogel felt thickness, glass type, and ambient temperature on the thermal protection performance of the structure are studied, using a fluid–solid–thermal coupling model. Numerical results show that the structure exhibits good protection performance, and that the thermal resistance distribution changes the main path of heat transmission. The optimal thickness of the aerogel felt is approximately 8 mm. Compared to 3 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm thicknesses, 8 mm reduces the maximum temperature by 15.90%, 8.37%, and 6.22%, and reduces the total entropy by 79.23%, 52.44%, and 12.5%. Lower thermal conductivity of the gas inside the hollow glass results in decreased maximum temperatures and total entropy. Using argon-filled hollow glass at 573.15 K decreases maximum temperature by 33.52% and 8.40%, with a total entropy reduction of 33.46% and 6.04%, compared to the single-layer and air-filled glass. Higher ambient temperatures correlate with increased maximum temperature, total entropy, and average surface-heat-transfer coefficient, indicating that the adaptability of the structure to high-temperature environments is limited.