Thermomechanical response of out-of-autoclave infused carbon-phenolic laminates for rocket engine applications subjected to surface ablation

Cost-affordable and reliable manufacturing technologies to produce Carbon/Phenolic Composites (CPCs) are essential for competitive access to space. These materials are used as ablative Thermal Protection System (TPS) for space applications, such as rocket nozzles or the heat shields of space vehicles. Out-Of-Autoclave (OOA) infusion processes can reduce the manufacturing cost of composites: in this work, OOA produced CPC laminates were compared to Carbon/Epoxy Composites (CECs). The CPCs produced in this work were mechanically characterized to assess their quality and compared with state-of-the-art counterparts through the data available in the open literature. CPC laminates instrumented with ultra-small thermocouples were subjected to OxyAcetylene Torch (OAT) ablation testing and a numerical approach was assessed to predict the temperature reached in the laminate layers. Post-burning mechanical tests performed on specimens subjected to the ablation test showed that when the temperature does not exceed a given threshold, the material retains adequate properties to perform a structural role.