Managing Skin Temperatures Reduces The Need For Specialty Materials.

Aircraft structures in high heat areas have thin ceramic skins with heat sink fins that extend through the composite skin panels into internal ducts. The ceramic shields the composite material from the high heat and transfers the heat, via the heat sinks, into the internal ducts where outside air, at less than -54 degrees F is blown through the ducts and over the heat sinks to maintain a constant skin temperature.