Ablative properties and mechanisms of hot vulcanised silicone rubber (HVSR) composites containing different fillers

Abstract

Hot vulcanised silicone rubber (HVSR) composites were prepared using silicon carbide (SiC), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) and zirconium boride (ZrB₂) as fillers, respectively. The tensile properties and the ablative response of the composites were examined. Tensile tests indicated that the tensile strength of HVSR was increased by the incorporation of ZrB₂. The linear ablation rate of the composites increased in the order HVSR/ZrB₂ < HVSR/ZrO₂ < HVSR/SiC < HVSR/HfO₂ < blank HVSR. The maximum back-face temperatures of the composites acquired from the burnt specimens during the ablation test were 350 and 364 K for the HVSR/ZrB₂ and HVSR/ZrO₂, respectively, compared to that of 333 K for the blank HVSR. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results showed that the dense and rigid ceramic layer was hard to peel off under the high pressure and shearing forces of ablative gases. The HVSR/ZrB₂ specimens exhibited the best ablation resistance among all the composites involved in this work.

Keywords

Silicone rubber Oxyacetylene torch test Anti-ablation filler Zirconium boride Back-face temperatures

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