The influence of ablation products on the ablation resistance of C/C-SiC composites and the growth mechanism of SiO2 nanowires

Ablation under oxyacetylene torch with heat flux of 4186.8(10%kW/m2 for 20 s was performed to evaluate the ablation resistance of C/C-SiC composites fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration(CVI) combined with liquid silicon infiltration(LSI) process.The results indicated that C/C-SiC composites present a better ablation resistance than C/C composites without doped SiC.The doped SiC and the ablation products SiO_2 derived from it play key roles in ablation process.Bulk quantities of SiO_2 nanowires with diameter of 80 nm-150 nm and length of tens microns were observed on the surface of specimens after ablation.The growth mechanism of the SiO_2 nanowires was interpreted with a developed vapor-liquid-solid(VLS) driven by the temperature gradient.