thermal barrier

American  

noun

Aeronautics, 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.

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thermal barrier British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of thermal barrier

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Buried inside the extra-thick walls of these homes are layers of high-density fiberglass insulation flanked by rigid foam boards taped together at the seams to forge a thermal barrier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 14, 2016

More and more kings are moving up the Columbia and arriving in Brewster every day, and that thermal barrier will keep them there.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2012

Continue to keep your fingers crossed that we get a thermal barrier built up at the mouth of the Okanogan.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2012

The Fridge Freeze can function as a fridge and a freezer simultaneously by placing a thermal barrier on top of the frozen items.

From Time Magazine Archive

On Feb. 28, 1984, Miller warned his bosses that the putty used in the seal might not "provide a thermal barrier."

From Time Magazine Archive