ENHANCING ABLATIVE RESISTANCE OF CARBON/EPOXY LAMINATES VIA INTERLAYER OF SILICONE ELASTOMER MICROPARTICLES

초록

Thermal protection systems (TPS) are essential for protecting spacecraft and hypersonic vehicles from extreme heat. However, traditional TPS materials such as carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) require substantial thickness to achieve thermal resistance, leading to increased structural weight. In this study, we propose an enhanced thermal protection strategy by embedding silicone elastomer microparticles as interlayers within CFRP laminates. The microparticles, synthesized via a thixotropic emulsion method using Ecoflex elastomer and sodium alginate solution, are incorporated at 6 vol.% levels in the mid-plane of 10-ply CFRP preforms. Laminates are fabricated via vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) and subjected to oxy-hydrogen flame ablation testing at ~2000 °C. The Si-containing interlayers decompose under high heat to generate silica, forming a thermal barrier that delays carbon fiber degradation. Notably, the ablation resistance increases for composites with PDMS microparticles. These results demonstrate a lightweight yet highly effective approach to improve ablative resistance through in-situ silica formation and suggest the potential of PDMS-based interlayers for next-generation aerospace TPS applications. © 2025 ICCM24.All rights reserved.

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