Study on the thermal control performance of lightweight minimal surface lattice structures for aerospace applications

•Evaluated thermal insulation and convective heat transfer of four TPMS structures.•Diamond TPMS excelled at low airflow speeds, Gyroid at high speeds.•Diamond TPMS demonstrated highest insulation capability from 200 °C to 400 °C.•Empirical correlation established for predicting heat transfer characteristics.•Experimental-numerical validation confirmed reliability of numerical models. With the rapid evolution of aerospace technology and the increasing complexity of space environments, the demand for lightweight, thermally insulated, and highly efficient heat dissipation materials in aircraft equipment has surged. This study addresses this critical need by investigating Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) lattice structures, offering a novel design approach to enhance spacecraft thermal management under extreme temperatures. Our work introduces a methodology to quantitatively assess the thermal insulation and heat dissipation performance of various lightweight lattice sandwich structures. We constructed implicit function models of low volume fractions, including Gyroid, Diamond, Primitive, and IWP, and conducted experiments using an active cooling setup under controlled heating conditions at 300 °C. Key findings reveal that, at flow velocities ranging from 0.25 to 1.5 m/s, the Diamond model exhibited the highest convective heat transfer coefficient, surpassing the Gyroid, Primitive, and IWP models by 6.9 % to 427.3 %, 87.1 % to 485.6 %, and 1.5 % to 98.7 %, respectively. Conversely, at velocities between 1.5 and 3.75 m/s, the Gyroid model demonstrated superior heat exchange performance, improving by 14.6 % to 67.2 %, 73 % to 167.7 %, and 9 % to 64.8 % compared to the Diamond, Primitive, and IWP models. During thermal insulation tests at temperatures from 200 to 400 °C, the Diamond model showed the best insulation effect, while the Primitive model performed poorly. Based on the experimental data, we established empirical relationships between the Nusselt number, friction coefficient, and Geometric Surface Ratio (GS). These findings not only underscore the significant potential of TPMS lattice structures in aerospace applications but also provide a robust theoretical framework and practical guidelines for achieving efficient thermal management in lightweight aerospace manufacturing.