ABSTRACT
This work deals with the characterization of chopped fiber glass composite. The resin
matrix was a phenol base. Sheets of this composite have been cured and cut to
make sample specimens for testing. Four mechanical testing have been conducted
for these material including tensile test at different temperatures, bending test,
compression test and hardness test. Three thermal tests including thermal
conductivity determination, thermal expansion coefficient determination and ablation
test have been conducted. The results show that this material has very good thermal
properties capable of resisting high temperatures.
A nozzle for rocket motor has been made from this material as insulators, and static
firing test has been conducted and the temperatures inside this composite material
have been measured. Investigation of the thermal loads response of composite
nozzle has been done using FE using ANSYS package software and the calculated
temperatures have been recorded from the same places that chosen in the real firing
test. By comparing the measured and obtained temperature for the fiber glass, there
is a great agreement between them. The selected composite material resists the high
temperatures so this used as thermal protective material.