Effect of Ply Orientation on the In-Depth Response of Carbon-Phenolic Ablative

Abstract

The effect of ply orientation on the in-depth response of carbon-phenolic ablative, which is widely used for thermal protection of rocket motor nozzles and reentry capsules, is studied using a newly developed axisymmetric, unstructured, finite volume model. The numerical scheme for solving the conservation equations of solid mass, gas mass, and mixture energy, along with Darcy’s law for the flow of pyrolysis gases, is discussed. Carbon-phenolic decomposition model is developed using thermogravimetry studies. Arcjet tests are conducted on the specimens with different ply orientations, and the in-depth temperature response is compared with the predictions from the numerical model. The effect of ply orientation on the in-depth density and pore pressure is analyzed.