Research on thermal contact resistance between C/C and resin thermal protection materials for solid rocket motor nozzles considering real surface roughness

C/C composite and resin materials have been applied in rocket motor nozzles. This study aims to investigate the thermal contact resistance (TCR) between C/C composite and resin materials. Contact surfaces are scanned by surface morphological-measuring instrument. The TCR values are solved numerically. With the steady-state heat flux method, the TCR values are experimentally measured at different temperatures and pressures. The study results show that the TCR value between C/C composite and resin materials varies in the range of 1.8245 × 10–3 ∼7.5851 × 10–3 K·m2·W-1 at different pressures and temperatures. The average TCR error between numerical analysis and test results is 8%, which indicates a high accuracy. The developed TCR numerical prediction model can provide a reference for thermal-structural design and analysis of nozzles.