This program performs a one-dimensional numerical analysis of the transient thermal response of multi-layer insulative systems. The analysis can determine the temperature distribution through a system consisting of from one to four layers, one of which can be an air gap. Concentrated heat sinks at any interface can be included. The computer program based on the analysis will determine the thickness of a specified layer that will satisfy a temperature limit criterion at any point in the insulative system. The program will also automatically calculate the thickness at several points on a system and determine the total system mass. This program was developed as a tool for designing thermal protection systems for high speed aerospace vehicles but could be adapted to many areas of industry involved in thermal insulation systems.
In this package, the equations describing the transient thermal response of a system are developed. The governing differential equation for each layer and boundary condition are put in finite-difference form using a Taylor's series expansion. These equations yield an essentially tridiagonal matrix of unknown temperatures. A procedure based on Gauss' elimination method is used to solve the matrix. (NASA Langley Research Center)
This program was released by NASA through COSMIC as LAR-12057. The italicized text above is from the official NASA release.