Ablative Materials

Abstract

The word ablation is derived from the suppletive past particle of the Latin auferre, which means to remove. It was originally used in the geologic sense to describe the combined, predominantly thermal, processes by which a glacier wastes. The present use of the word maintains the thermal aspect and describes the absorption, dissipation, and blockage of heat associated with high speed entry into the atmosphere. Thus ablative, thermal protection materials are used to protect vehicles from damage during atmospheric reentry. The need for these materials was first realized during the development of operational ballistic missiles in Pennemunde, Germany, when a large percentage of V-2s failed to reach their targets because of missile skin disintegration caused by aerodynamic heating (1). Ablative materials are also used to protect rocket nozzles and ship hulls from propellant gas erosion, as protection from laser beams, and to protect land-based structures from high heat environments.

Crossing the Traditional Boundaries: Salen-Based Schiff Bases for Thermal Protective Applications

“…An ablative surface is a heat shield, which is designed to wear away in a controlled fashion at very high temperature and is mostly used in aerospace applications. Such surfaces are classified according to their dominant ablation process: subliming or melting ablators; charring ablators and intumescent ablators . Thermophysically, this process involves the elimination of a large amount of thermal energy by the sacrifice of the surface material .…”

“…Such surfaces are classified according to their dominant ablation process: subliming or melting ablators; charring ablators and intumescent ablators . Thermophysically, this process involves the elimination of a large amount of thermal energy by the sacrifice of the surface material . On the other hand, flame retardants (FRs) are synthetic/natural chemical species incorporated into (or coated onto) polymers to resist ignition/fire, check fire propagation and lessen the consequences of fire hazards .…”

“…10 Thermophysically, this process involves the elimination of a large amount of thermal energy by the sacrifice of the surface material. 10 On the other hand, flame retardants (FRs) are synthetic/natural chemical species incorporated into (or coated onto) polymers to resist ignition/fire, check fire propagation and lessen the consequences of fire hazards. 11 Imparting flame retardancy in engineering polymers has become a necessity and an obligatory based on safety and regulatory issues, respectively.…”

Sources of variation in bourbon whiskey barrels: a review

“…The heat from the torch is transferred through the staves resulting in a range of thermal conditions. Interestingly, the char that builds up on the surface of the staves insulates the interior, slowing the process of degradation ‐ a concept that is applied to the development of ablative materials used on rocket nozzles ( 137 ) . The process starts as heat enters the barrel through convection and radiation, raising the temperature of the surface of the staves, leading to the decomposition of the wood and the release of pyrolysis gasses.…”

Experimental Study of The Insulating Effectiveness of Silicone Rubber Composites by Oxyacetylene Ablation Testing

“…At some conditions of heating, decomposition of silicone is slower than in phenolic resin (Favaloro 2000): at 700 °C, the volatilized portion for silicone is near 20% and for phenolic resin is near 50%. As the experimental study by Chapman (1966) shows, the ablative material with a silicone resin base produced the highest performance in a moderate range of conditions (heat rate below 1.14 MW/m 2 and dynamic pressure below 2.4 kN/m 2 ) provided by electric-arc-heated gas stream in comparison to phenolic and epoxy base materials.…”