Modeling of one-dimensional thermal response of silica-phenolic composites with volume ablation

The silica-phenolic composites experience volume ablation when exposed to a radiant heat flux. Based on the analysis of mechanisms during volume ablation, a mathematical model was developed to predict the one-dimensional thermal response of the ablative material in this paper. After discretizing the space and time domain, the governing equations were described using the implicit finite differential form. Both the heat-mass transfer process and the moving boundary caused by thermal expansion, as well as the variation of pore pressure due to concentration and flow of the decomposition gases were considered in the formulation of the model. The thermal response of silica-phenolic composites during the volume ablation, including temperature distribution, pore pressure distribution, volume fraction of the phase components and degree of decomposition, were calculated by the proposed model. The time-dependent temperature progressions at different material depths were measured using a solar radiation heating experiment platform. The experimental and calculated temperature profiles are in good agreement.