Microstructure and oxidation behavior of fibers and binders in charring ablators

Content Files

CHEN-THESIS-2023.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120144

Title: Microstructure and oxidation behavior of fibers and binders in charring ablators
Author(s): Chen, Samuel
Issue Date: 2023-05-01
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis): Panerai, Francesco
Department of Study: Aerospace Engineering
Discipline: Aerospace Engineering
Degree Granting Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name: M.S.
Degree Level: Thesis
Keyword(s): Oxidation, Microstructure
Abstract: This work investigates the microstructure and oxidation response of Varcum and fibers separately to better understand the phenomena of spallation in charring ablators. Varcum and fibers are the two main constituents combined in a slurry to manufacture FiberForm, a substrate of PICA. A combination of electron microscopy, X-ray analysis, and surface area analysis techniques are used to characterize the materials at various scales. Results show increasing the processing temperature of the binder increases the structural order and size of the crystallite structure. The macro-pore size increases due the pyrolysis process, but pores at the micro-scale level decrease in volume. At higher oxidation temperatures, the oxidation rate of the binder also increases but is determined to be mostly reaction-limited.
Graduation Semester: 2023-05
Type of Resource: Thesis
Handle URL: https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120144

Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois