Polymer-Based Thermal Protective Composites: The Role of Reinforcement and Matrix in Providing Strength and Fire Resistance

Our plain-English summary of Polymer-Based Thermal Protective Composites: The Role of Reinforcement and Matrix in Providing Strength and Fire Resistance, by M. Meiirbekov, A. Kuandyk, M. Sadykov, et al (Polymers, 2025).

The study

• Authors: M. Meiirbekov, A. Kuandyk, M. Sadykov, M. Nurzhanov, N. Yesbolov, B. Baiserikov, I. Ablakatov, L. Mustafa, B. Medyanova, A. Kulbekov, S. Orazbek, A. Yermekov
• Journal: Polymers
• Published: 2025;17(10)
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This study addresses the need for thermomechanically robust materials for high-temperature environments by investigating fabric-reinforced composites produced through polymer infiltration and thermal pressing using phenol-formaldehyde (PF) and epoxy (ER) resins. Experimental validation was required due to the lack of comparative data across different textile reinforcements under identical conditions. Seven technical fabrics-carbon, aramid, basalt, silica, fiberglass, asbestos, and a carbon/aramid hybrid-were used as reinforcements. Mechanical testing revealed that carbon- and hybrid fiber composites exhibited the highest tensile (up to 465 MPa) and compressive strengths (up to 301 MPa), particularly when combined with ER. Conversely, the use of PF generally resulted in a 30-50% reduction in mechanical strength. However, PF-based composites demonstrated superior thermal resistance, with the silica/PF combination showing the lowest back-face temperature (401 °C), up to 37% lower than other pairings. Thermal conductivity ranged from 0.041 to 0.51 W/m·K, with PF-based systems offering 6-12% lower values on average compared to ER-based analogs. Morphological analysis confirmed better interfacial bonding in ER composites, while PF systems showed higher structural integrity under thermal loading. Overall, the results emphasize the trade-offs between mechanical strength and thermal protection depending on the fabric-resin combination. Among all variants, the silica fabric with PF demonstrated the most balanced performance, making it a promising candidate for thermomechanical applications.

In plain English

This was a laboratory materials-engineering study, not a study of human health. Researchers in Kazakhstan made 14 heat-protective composite panels, intended for uses such as rocket thermal protection. Each panel combined one of seven technical fabrics (carbon, aramid, basalt, silica, fiberglass, asbestos, or a carbon/aramid hybrid) with either phenol-formaldehyde (phenolic) resin or epoxy resin. The panels were tested for strength, hardness, flame resistance and heat conduction. The asbestos fabric was grade AT-16 from a Russian supplier; the article does not say which asbestos fiber type it contained. Of all the fabrics, the asbestos-fabric panels had the lowest tensile strength (139 MPa with epoxy, 123 MPa with phenolic resin), the lowest compressive strength (109 and 98 MPa) and the lowest hardness (22.5 and 18.4 HB). Carbon fabric with epoxy was the strongest, at 465 MPa tensile. In flame tests, silica fabric with phenolic resin had the lowest back-face temperature, 401 degrees Celsius. The authors concluded that silica fabric with phenolic resin gave the best balance of strength and heat protection. The study did not measure fiber release or any health effects.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory materials-testing experiment comparing fabric-reinforced composite panels (not a health study)
• Who was studied: 14 composite panels made from 7 fabric types (carbon, silica, aramid, basalt, fiberglass, carbon/aramid hybrid, asbestos) and 2 resins (phenol-formaldehyde and epoxy), prepared and tested by researchers in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Five mechanical tests were run per configuration.
• Exposure: No human exposure was studied. Asbestos fabric (grade AT-16, from JSC "ATI Plant", Saint-Petersburg, Russia; fiber type not specified) was one of seven reinforcing fabrics, used at a fabric-to-resin mass ratio of 65:35.
• Main results:
  • Carbon fabric with epoxy resin had the highest tensile strength, 465 MPa, versus 309 MPa for carbon fabric with phenolic resin.
  • Asbestos-fabric composites had the lowest tensile strength of all fabrics: 139 MPa with epoxy and 123 MPa with phenolic resin.
  • Asbestos-fabric composites had the lowest compressive strength: 109 MPa with epoxy and 98 MPa with phenolic resin.
  • Asbestos-fabric composites had the lowest Brinell hardness: 22.5 HB with epoxy and 18.4 HB with phenolic resin.
  • In flame tests, silica fabric with phenolic resin had the lowest back-face temperature, 401 degrees Celsius. With epoxy instead, the silica composite reached 450 degrees Celsius.
  • For asbestos-fabric composites, the back-face temperature differed by 6.9% between the two resins. The actual asbestos temperatures appear only in a figure and are not given in the text.
  • Silica-fabric composites had the lowest thermal conductivity: 0.041 W/m·K with phenolic resin and 0.067 W/m·K with epoxy.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the silica-fabric composite, particularly with phenolic resin, offered the best balance of thermal and mechanical performance.

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