| Citation: | Dong Xiao, Wang Peng, Li Liang, et al. Comparison on thermal protection performance and mechanisms of low-ablation and non-ablative materials[J]. Journal of Aerospace Power, 2026, 41（9）：20250333 doi: 10.13224/j.cnki.jasp.20250333
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Lightweight thermal protection materials are a key solution for large-area thermal protection systems in modern aerospace vehicles. A thermal response model coupling aerodynamic heat transfer and thermochemical processes was developed to comparatively investigate the thermal protection performance of nanoporous resin-based low-ablation materials and non-ablative ceramic tiles under two typical of thermal environments. It revealed the energy dissipation pathways and their respective contribution weights. Results showed that, compared with ceramic tiles, low-ablation materials achieved an overall energy dissipation of approximately 10%—15% through a synergistic combination of mechanisms including thermal blockage, heat sink effects, pyrolysis gas release, and pyrolysis reactions, demonstrating superior multi-path heat dissipation capabilities. Radiative heat dissipation was identified as a core mechanism shared by both materials, with its contribution significantly increasing under intensified thermal loads. Moreover, the nanoporous structure of the low-ablation material presented low thermal conductivity, along with higher specific heat capacity and density, enabling more effective heat confinement in the upper layer and significantly reducing heat transfer to the interior, thus resulting in a lower backside temperature compared with ceramic tiles. The study confirmed that resin-based materials can dynamically regulate the proportion of energy dissipation mechanisms and the distribution of heat sinks along the thickness direction, achieving efficient thermal protection across a wide range of thermal environments.
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