Development of a Low-Density Phenolic-Impregnated Fibrous Ablator

Abstract

ZURAM® is an ablative carbon-phenolic thermal protection material, developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), University of Stuttgart. ZURAM® exhibits a performance comparable to similar low density thermal protection materials. It is based on a rigid, highly porous carbon fibre preform which is filled with a nano-porous matrix derived from a phenolic resin. In the context of the ongoing material development, possibilities to improve the material were investigated with the aim to lower the density at otherwise unchanged or improved performance. Preliminary results indicate that by substituting the carbon preform with a phenolic fibre preform, a significant reduction of the thermal conductivity can be achieved while recession rates are comparable to the ones of standard ZURAM®. The scope of the present work is the development of ZURAM®-K based on phenolic Kynol® fibres. Furthermore results from plasma wind tunnel tests at the DLR facility L2K and L3K, as well as data on the thermal conductivity and heat capacity will be presented.