Reaction kinetics and ablation properties of C/C–ZrC composites fabricated by reactive melt infiltration

Carbon/carbon–zirconium carbide (C/C–ZrC) composites were prepared by reactive melt infiltration. Carbon fiber felt was firstly densified by carbon using chemical vapor infiltration to obtain a porous carbon/carbon (C/C) skeleton. The zirconium melt was then infiltrated into the porous C/C at temperatures higher than the melting point of zirconium to obtain C/C–ZrC composites. The infiltration depth as a function of annealing temperature and dwelling time was studied. A model based on these results was built up to describe the kinetic process. The ablation properties of the C/C–ZrC were tested under an oxyacetylene torch and a laser beam. The results indicate that the linear and mass ablation rates of the C/C–ZrC composites are greatly reduced compared with C/SiC–ZrB2, C/SiC, and C/C composites. The formation of a dense layer of ZrC and ZrO2 mixture at high temperatures is the reason for high ablation resistance.