Preparation and long-term ablation behavior of C_f-reinforced ZrC-SiC coated C/C-ZrC-SiC composite

To improve the long-term ablation resistance of the C/C composite, the C_f-reinforced ZrC-SiC coated C/C-ZrC-SiC composite is fabricated by thermal gradient chemical vapor infiltration (TGCVI) technology and the subsequent polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process. The coating shares the same carbon fiber felt with the matrix, which can strengthen the bond between the coating and the matrix. Results show that the composite has excellent long-term anti-ablation performance (the linear ablation rate of the composite is −0.64 µm/s after ablated for 120 s (3 × 40 s), and the coating can withstand ablation for 160 s (4 × 40 s) without destruction). With the reinforcement of carbon fibers, the coating is peeled layer by layer rather than destructed in the whole coating, and the coating still works in the subsequent ablation cycles (the linear ablation rate of the composite is 2.40 µm/s after ablated for 280 s (7 × 40 s)).