Measurement of Thermal Phenomena at HEL Target Surfaces
Jonathan Woolley, David Thomas, Jim Luke, Doug Goddard, Kent Taylor
Directed Energy Test and Evaluation Conference 2010
Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 2010
ABSTRACT
The thermal phenomena at the incident surface of a High Energy Laser (HEL) target are difficult to measure since the surface environment during an HEL engagement is so severe. Therefore, we have employed inverse methods to calculate the front surface thermal conditions based on temperature measurements from an array of resistive temperature detectors (RTDs) at the back face of the target. The temperature measurements on the back face of the target are used as input data for solution of the inverse heat conduction (IHC) problem to calculate the front surface heat fluxes and temperatures. Two major areas of technological advancement are presented here: sensor fabrication and IHC model development. Measurements from a HEL laboratory test are presented along with the fornt surface heat fluxes and temperatures estimated with the IHC model.
