A method for the evaluation of damage on the surface of carbon-carbon ablation samples

The effect of weave geometry on the onset of transition from laminar to turbulent flow around a sample of an orthogonally woven fine weave carbon-carbon material tested in an arc-jet is investigated. Seventeen post-test models which had undergone only partial transition around the circumference were examined as to location of turbulent regions relative to the weave axes. It was statistically shown that the weave axes had the lowest probability of being a position of initial transition onset. The probability generally increased with distance from a major axis, with some rays, notably the 45 deg rays, showing better transition resistance than the adjacent rays. The incidence of initial transition onset correlated well with the number of X or Y fibers that the flow passes over from stagnation point to the shoulder.