An Investigation of the Ablation Behavior of Advanced Ultrahigh-Temperature EPDM/Epoxy Insulation Composites

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Abstract
The influence of ultrahigh temperature and shear flow on the ablation behavior of bonded composites is studied. The various composites were fabricated by either reactive injection-molding (isotropic composites) or resin-impregnation-stacking (mat reinforcement) techniques. The host polymer matrices (EPDM or epoxy), containing either carbon/refractory fibers or inert/interactive particles, were examined following exposure to an oxidizing flame at 2750 K and a net effective heat flux of ∼25.0 W/cm2, for a specified duration. Both planer and tubular specimens in the head-on impingement (HOI) and parallel flow (PF) configurations were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the residual surface morphology (RSM) of the various irradiated specimens revealed that the ablation was a function of both the resin and the reinforcement type. The resistance to ablation/erosion improved with both higher-melting substrates and greater matrix-substrate interaction. The global erosion rate was found to correlate with the geometrical, thermal, and processing parameters, and generally increased with increased thermal transport and reduced compaction pressure. These findings may have important implications in the engineering of ablative composites for possible use in the more discriminating thermal environments of certain propulsion devices.

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