C/C composite oxidation model: I. Morphological experimental investigations Original Research Article

A model of the oxidation behaviour of C/C composites was developed. The purpose of the model is to predict the carbon loss that occurs at the outer surface and within the porosity of the composite. It takes into account the transport of species in the material, chemical gas–gas and gas–solid reactions, the interaction of both transport phenomena and chemistry, the morphological parameters of the unoxidized composite and their evolution due to the consumption of carbon inside the composite. In order to obtain the intrinsic morphological parameters required to document the oxidation model, specific experimental facilities were designed.