NOVEL POLYPARAPHENYLENE COMPOSITE ABLATIVE MATERIALS FOR USE AS RAMJET COMBUSTOR INSULATION

The development of lighter weight insulation with improved thermal and ablative properties is vital to the future success of ducted rocket/ramjet technology currently being developed in the United States. In Phase I, novel composite ablative materials were fabricated from Parmaxr SRP (Self-Reinforced Polymers) and carbon fibers and shown to possess numerous advantages over the current technology (Dow-Corning 93-104). The objective of the Phase II will be to build on the successful Phase I effort and successfully demonstrate that the proposed materials meet and/or exceed all performance requirements for ramjet applications. To achieve this, the main focus of the effort will center on production methodology and successful incorporation of the improved insulation into the ramjet combustor along with optimizing the composite insulation formulation. The deliverable for the Phase II effort will be a Final Report forming the basis of the Technical Package for incorporation of dramatically improved insulation solution into the new ramjet systems.