Abstract:
The mechanism of thermal degradation of a carbon phenolic composite subjected to a high-temperature gas flow in inert and oxidizing media has been investigated by means of dynamic weighing and measuring the temperature fields in the reacting sample, followed by mathematical simulation of the experimental results. The ratio of the mass loss due to the thermal degradation to the mass loss in heterogeneous oxidation reactions has been determined. It has been established that the formation of fine-grained carbon in the pyrolysis of a polymeric binder as well as reactions in pores affect significantly the temperature field and the mass loss of the ablator.
