Study on the ablation behavior of 3D needled C/SiC in the rocket combustion environments

Three dimensional needled C/SiC components were prepared by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process. Their ablation behaviors in combustion environments were studied on solid rocket engine test facility. The results indicated that the intake area of the test component was severely ablated, while the rest parts of the test component were little damaged and covered by molten products. The ablation was attributed to the chemical reactions from high temperatures and mechanical damages from multi-phase flowing gas. The instability and inhomogeneity of the multi-phase flowing gas resulted in the severe ablation environments in some sections of the component. Combined with the impurities in combustion gas, the ablation in the intake area was deteriorated.