Effect of Incorporation of Carbon Fiber and Silicon Carbide Powder into Silicone Rubber on the Ablation and Mechanical Properties of the Silicone Rubber-Based Ablation Material

This study examined the effects of the incorporation of carbon fiber (CF) and silicon carbide powder (SCP) into a high temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) containing vinyl groups on the ablation properties using an oxy-acetylene torch test. The ablation test results showed that CF enhanced the hardness of the char formed on the composite surface during the oxy-acetylene torch test and was an important factor determining the ablation properties. SCP was also beneficial in enhancing the surface char hardness of the HTV/CF composite. A new method was devised to evaluate the ablation properties more objectively by measuring the time elapsed for a rectangular-shaped silicone rubber composite with specimens loaded with a constant weight to burn and fail off during the oxy-acetylene torch test. The mechanical properties of the silicone rubber composites were also examined as a function of the additive content using a universal test machine (UTM). (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 831-838, 2011