ZrO2-reinforced polymer-matrix composites used for thermal protection systems of ultra-high temperature aerospace propulsion

Owing to the rapid development of high-energy propellants, the temperature of the solid rocket motor (SRM) combustion chamber has increased, necessitating the development of high-performance polymer matrix composites (PMCs) that meet the requirements of thermal protection systems (TPSs) for use in the ultra-high temperature combustion chamber. ZrO2 is an excellent and potential ultra-high temperature filler, the ablation properties of ZrO2-reinforced PMCs were investigated. ZrO2 reduced the ablation rate of the PMCs by up to 30.6 %. In order to optimize the design of ZrO2 filler, the reinforcement mechanism of ZrO2 on the ablation resistance of the PMCs was explained from the perspective of the properties and chemical reaction in the char layer. The results showed that ZrO2 can increase the residue rate and promote the densification of the char layer. In addition, ZrO2 promoted the formation of ZrC in the char layer, thereby improving the ablation resistance of the ZrO2-reinforced PMCs. The ZrO2-reinforced PMCs are expected to meet the requirements of the TPS used in the ultra-high temperature combustion chamber. Furthermore, the reinforcement mechanism of ZrO2 is conducive to the design of TPSs materials with excellent ablation performance and development of predictive models for the ablation performance of composites.