Microstructure and ablation performances of dual-matrix carbon/carbon composites

The ablation performances of dual-matrix carbon/carbon composites were tested on a DJ-21 arc heater, and the morphologies of specimens were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the composites have typical rough laminar pyrocarbon structure and ablation always tends to start at interfaces, defects and pores. In addition, the work indicates that ablation performances of parallel ablation are better than vertical ablation and parallel ablation is mainly controlled by block denudation while vertical ablation is more likely to be controlled by particle denudation. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.