Ablation characteristics of thermal protective materials based on carbon fiber reinforced composites

The thermal decomposition of a carbon fiber reinforced plastic based on a phenolformaldehyde resin and a carbon cloth is investigated. Based on results of thermogravimetric analysis, the pyrolysis process is analyzed and physical and mathematical models for the process are proposed. It is shown that an increase in temperature leads to ablation of both the phenolformaldehyde resin and the carbon cloth. Thermokinetic constants of individual stages are determined. The data obtained are used to predict the ablation of the composite.