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

The biggest focus of current green-building efforts is on the “building envelope,” which is the thermal barrier between the inside of your home and the outdoor environment.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2022

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

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

In the supersonic age, Kindelberger and other planemakers face a new challenge to tax their ingenuity: the thermal barrier.

From Time Magazine Archive

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