Propulsion tests on ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites for reusable rocket nozzles

Diletta Sciti; Antonio Vinci; Luca Zoli; Pietro Galizia; Simone Failla; Stefano Mungiguerra; Giuseppe D. Di Martino; Anselmo Cecere; Raffaele Savino

doi:10.26599/JAC.2023.9220759

Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2023, 12(7): 1345-1360 https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220759

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Open Access | Issue | Published: 08 June 2023

Propulsion tests on ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites for reusable rocket nozzles

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Diletta Sciti^{^a}, Antonio Vinci^{^a}(

), Luca Zoli^{^a}, Pietro Galizia^{^a}, Simone Failla^{^a}, Stefano Mungiguerra^{^b}(

), Giuseppe D. Di Martino^{^b}, Anselmo Cecere^{^b}, Raffaele Savino^{^b}

aInstitute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics—National Research Council, Faenza 48018, Italy

bDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80125, Italy

Keywords:

oxidation resistance, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs), propulsion, nozzle prototypes

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Sciti D, Vinci A, Zoli L, et al. Propulsion tests on ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites for reusable rocket nozzles. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2023, 12(7): 1345-1360. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220759

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Abstract

Ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMCs) based on a ZrB₂/SiC matrix have been investigated for the fabrication of reusable nozzles for propulsion. Three de Laval nozzle prototypes, obtained by sintering with either hot pressing (HP) or spark plasma sintering (SPS), were tested 2–3 times in a hybrid rocket motor for proving reusability. Sections were extracted after oxidation tests to study the microstructural changes and oxidative and thermomechanical stresses induced by the repeated tests. Compared to a reference graphite nozzle, no measurable erosion was observed for the UHTCMC-based nozzles. The oxidation mechanism consisted in the formation of a ZrO₂ intermediate layer, with a liquid silicon oxide (SiO₂) layer on the surface that was displaced by the action of the gas flux towards the divergent part of the nozzle, protecting it from further oxidation. Both specimens obtained by HP and SPS displayed similar performance, with very slight differences, which were attributed to small changes in porosity. These tests demonstrated the capability of complex-shaped prototypes made of the developed UHTCMCs to survive repeated exposure to environments representative of a realistic space propulsion application, for overall operating time up to 30 s, without any failure nor measurable erosion, making a promising step towards the development of reusable rocket components.

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About this article

Propulsion tests on ultra-high-temperature ceramic matrix composites for reusable rocket nozzles

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Diletta Sciti^{^a}, Antonio Vinci^{^a}(

), Luca Zoli^{^a}, Pietro Galizia^{^a}, Simone Failla^{^a}, Stefano Mungiguerra^{^b}(

), Giuseppe D. Di Martino^{^b}, Anselmo Cecere^{^b}, Raffaele Savino^{^b}

aInstitute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics—National Research Council, Faenza 48018, Italy

bDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80125, Italy

Abstract

Keywords: oxidation resistance, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs), propulsion, nozzle prototypes

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Acknowledgements

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Publication history

Received: 06 February 2023

Revised: 04 April 2023

Accepted: 24 April 2023

Published: 08 June 2023

Issue date: July 2023

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Acknowledgements

This work received support by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant No. 685594 (C³HARME: Next Generation Ceramic Composites for Harsh Combustion Environment and Space), and project CARBOSPACE (Ultrarefractory Ceramic Composites for Aerospace Defense Transport Energy).

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