Patent ID: 7314648

Claim:
A method for thermal protection, the method comprising: providing a cap, having at least one exposed surface and a cap interface surface spaced apart from the cap exposed surface, where the cap has at least one polygonal or curvilinear depression and one or more bosses at the cap interface surface, each boss having at least one threaded buttress or keyway in the cap, the cap having a material composition including carbon and silicon and having at least first and second spaced apart depressions in the cap interface surface; providing a cap surface layer, positioned at the cap exposed surface, having a surface layer thickness in a selected range of about 1-2.5 mm, and having a material composition comprising a first selected fraction of tantalum disilicide, a second selected fraction of molybdenum disilicide, a third selected fraction of tungsten disilicide and a fourth selected fraction of glass, wherein the cap surface layer is subjected to a HETC treatment; providing an insulator base having an insulator base interface surface including at least one polygonal or curvilinear projection, which mates with the respective at least one depression in the cap interface surface and which compensates for a difference in thermal expansion between the cap and the insulator base at the insulator base interface surface, where the insulator base has an insulator base second surface spaced apart from the insulator base interface surface, has at least one insulator base aperture that extends from the insulator base interface surface to the insulator base second surface, and has a material composition including alumina and including at least one of silica, boron or other refractory material; providing a transition region, positioned between, and contiguous to, the cap interface surface and the insulator base interface surface, having a thickness of about 1.2 mm or more, having a material composition comprising glass, a selected polymer and a selected mixture of at least two of TaSi 2 , MoSi 2 , WSi 2 , and B 2 O 3 .SiO 2 , and having at least one transition region aperture at a location corresponding to the at least one insulator base aperture; extending at least one pin that through the at least one insulator base aperture and through the at least one transition region aperture, that has a plate or key at a first pin end that is received in the at least one threaded buttress or keyway, that is bonded to the cap at the first pin end, and that is bonded to the insulator base second surface at a second pin end, the pin having a material composition that is substantially the same as the material composition of the insulator base component; and providing a coating, having a selected thickness in a range of about 10-50 μm, of reaction cured glass formulation covering exposed surfaces of at least one of the cap, the insulator base, the transition region and the pin.