thermal barrier

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nounAeronautics, Rocketry.
  1. the high temperatures produced by the friction between a supersonic object and the earth's atmosphere that limit the speed of an airplane or rocket.

Origin of thermal barrier

1
First recorded in 1950–55

Words Nearby thermal barrier

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British Dictionary definitions for thermal barrier

thermal barrier

noun
  1. an obstacle to flight at very high speeds as a result of the heating effect of air friction: Also called: heat barrier

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012