Effect of incorporation of carbon fiber and silicon carbide powder into silicone rubber on the ablation and mechanical properties of the silicone rubber‐based ablation material

This study examined the effects of the incorporation of carbon fiber (CF) and silicon carbide powder (SCP) into a high temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) containing vinyl groups on the ablation properties using an oxy‐acetylene torch test. The ablation test results showed that CF enhanced the hardness of the char formed on the composite surface during the oxy‐acetylene torch test and was an important factor determining the ablation properties. SCP was also beneficial in enhancing the surface char hardness of the HTV/CF composite. A new method was devised to evaluate the ablation properties more objectively by measuring the time elapsed for a rectangular‐shaped silicone rubber composite with specimens loaded with a constant weight to burn and fail off during the oxy‐acetylene torch test. The mechanical properties of the silicone rubber composites were also examined as a function of the additive content using a universal test machine (UTM). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011