Effect of Cu on the ablation properties of Cf/ZrC composites fabricated by infiltrating Cf/C preforms with Zr-Cu alloys

Cf/ZrC composites were fabricated by reactive melt infiltration at 1200 °C, Low melting Zr7Cu10, ZrCu and Zr2Cu alloys were used as infiltrators and the effect of Cu on ablation properties of the composites was investigated. The results show that the Cf/ZrC composites exhibit excellent anti-ablative properties affected apparently by the Cu contents. With the increase of Cu in infiltrators, the linear recession rates decrease from 0.0019±0.0006 to −0.0006±0.0002 mm s−1, whereas the mass loss rates increase from 0.0006±0.0003 to 0.0047±0.0009 g s−1. The formation of a dense ZrO2 protective layer and the evaporation of residual Cu are in favor of their ablation resistance.