The function of a rocket combustion chamber is to generate thrust by converting the propellant chemical energy into high kinetic energy hot gases. Accordingly, walls of a rocket engine can experience temperatures as high as 3000 deg C, withstanding pressures up to 100 atm. Passively cooled rocket engines are based on the use of ablative materials, generally polymeric composites. With this technique, the heat produced by the exothermic chemical reaction is expended in a material phase change, i.e. ablative cooling occurs when the heat flux changes the state of the surface substrate by melting, sublimation or by thermal degradation. As a result, a layer of relatively cool gases covers the combustion chamber inner wall surface, providing protection against hot combustion gases. Furthermore, film cooling technique can produce additional protection from excessive heat, by introducing a thin film of propellant above the chamber surface. Finally, this technique even allow to extend rocket combustion chamber lifetime, improving protection against oxidizing agents. Polymer layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSN) based on montmorillonite (MMT) have attracted great attention because the introduction of these kind of nanofillers can lead to improved mechanical and barrier properties. All produced nanocomposites were characterized and compared by means of X-ray diffraction, SEM and thermogravimetric analysis. At low filler percentage, TGA patterns of nanoclay based nanocomposites did not result quite different from neat resol. Increasing the nanoclay load, loss of mass raised. Finally, for all considered concentrations, nanosilica based blends showed both a lower loss of mass than nanoclay based nanocomposites as well as, an impressive superior processability.


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    Title :

    Highly loaded phenolic based nanocomposites for ablative rocket combustion chambers


    Additional title:

    Hoch-belastete Phenolharz-basierte Nanoverbundwerkstoffe für ablative Raketen-Verbrennungskammern


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2009


    Size :

    6 Seiten, 4 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 19 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Storage medium


    Language :

    English




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    Combustion chambers for rocket engines

    Baxter, A.D. | Engineering Index Backfile | 1956


    Combustion chambers for rocket engines

    Baxter, A.D. | Engineering Index Backfile | 1956