The Optimized Design of Sandwich Structured SiO₂/C@SiC/SiO₂ Composites Through Numerical Simulation for Temperature‐Resistant Radar and Infrared Compatible Stealth

Abstract

In contemporary times, radar and infrared‐compatible stealth materials have emerged as a pivotal domain of research globally, aimed at augmenting the survivability of military assets. However, current candidates generally exhibit subpar compatibility performance in elevated temperature environments due to the imbalanced interplay between the two spectral bands. In this work, a meticulously designed sandwich‐structure SiO2/C@SiC/SiO2 composite is proposed to cope with the challenge. The middle layer of C@SiC composites possesses excellent microwave absorption performance even at high temperatures. The outer layers of SiO2 aerogels serve not only to inhibit the infrared radiation intensity, but also reinforce the microwave absorption capacity by optimizing the impedance matching and reducing the heat transferred to the middle layer. Based on the numerical simulation outcomes, the thickness of each layer has been optimized to attain a harmonious balance between microwave absorption and infrared radiation properties. Ultimately, the sandwich structured SiO2/C@SiC/SiO2 composites demonstrate low RL (reflection loss) values (←5 dB) across nearly the entire X band (8–12 GHz), alongside minimal surface temperatures hovering ≈44 °C at an ambient temperature of 200 °C. The comprehensive investigation into impact patterns and underlying mechanisms offers invaluable insights to develop radar and infrared‐compatible stealth materials for high‐temperature applications, which can be applied as stealth coatings on the skin of high Mach number aircraft.