RT455 Thermal Ablative Compound A/B/C materials rocket and military applications

such as liquid and solid rocket motors (SRMs)] or protect vehicles and probes during the hypersonic flight through a planetary atmosphere. They are also known as thermal protection system (TPS) materials. Some nonpolymeric materials have been successfully used as ablatives; however, due to their versatility, polymeric ablative materials (PAMs) represent the widest family of sacrificial TPS materials. In fact, when compared with nonpolymeric ablatives such as high-melting-point metals and inorganic polymers (or metal oxides or carbides), PAMs have some intrinsic advantages such as tunable density, higher heat shock resistance, and lower cost. This chapter covers all main areas related to the science and technology of military PAMs based on thermoset matrices.