Theoretical and experimental investigation of the destruction of graphites in a flow of dissociated air

A method is presented for calculating the heating and erosion of blunt bodies made of graphite in a high-enthalpy flow of dissociated air, assuming chemical equilibrium on the surface and taking account of the thermal effects of combustion and sublimation of graphite. The analysis involves the use of a finite difference scheme to solve an equation of unsteady heat conduction. Attention is given to the equilibrium vaporization of C, C2 and C3 molecules. The calculations agree well with experimental data for a wide range of temperatures and stagnation pressures