Modified thermo-physical properties of phenolic resin/carbon fiber composite with nano zirconium dioxide

Thermal behavior of carbon fiber/phenolic resin composite is studied in presence of nano zirconium dioxide (nanoZrO(2)) to determine the potential application of new modified composite material as thermal protection system. Therefore, thermal degradation of insulator produced by filament winding technique is investigated by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis methods. Degradation kinetic parameters calculated by Ozawa's method show that thermal stability of samples is increased with increment of nanoZrO(2) content. In addition, degradation enthalpy is almost decreased 30 % for sample containing 7 mass% of nanoZrO(2) (NZ7) which might be due to the oxidation reduction. Lower erosion rate and higher ablation resistance are also observed for NZ7 sample obtained by oxyacetylene flame test. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results following ablation test confirm the existence of a new ceramic phase on carbon fiber due to the reduction reaction of nanoZrO(2) during oxyacetylene flame test.