Effect of Surface Roughness and Radiation on Graphite Nozzle Erosion in Solid Rocket Motors

摘要

Graphite and carbon-carbon composites, which are widely used as nozzle materials, undergo significant erosion under rocket-motor operating conditions [1,2]. The primary erosion mechanism is a chemical attack by hot combustion products flowing through the rocket nozzle. A comprehensive model was previously established by the authors to predict chemical erosion rates of various nozzle materials, including graphite/carbon-carbon composites [3] and refractory metals [4], over a wide range of chamber pressures. Furthermore, efforts were applied to study the mitigation of nozzle erosion by means of boundary-layer control [5].