To investigate failure mechanisms observed in carbon-phenolic thermal insulators, differential equations which govern the decomposition process in a deformable anisotropic porous solid are derived for three-dimensional axisymmetric constructions. The governing equations not only couple the material deformation with pore pressure, but also couple pressure and temperature, which means that heat convected by the pyrolysis gases is properly accounted for. Then the Bubnov-Galerkin finite element method is applied to these equations to transform them into a semidescrete finite element system. A thermal insulation liner in the cowl region under typical operating conditions is analyzed to find a mechanism for plylift. The results from the structural analysis show across-ply failure in the cowl zone. The mechanism for plylift is hypothesized as a sequential procedure : 1) the across-ply failure which is the precursor to plylift and 2) the local fiber buckling caused by generation of excessive in-plane compressive stress. To prevent plylift, the across-ply stress can be reduced by using appropriate material ply angles in cowl zone design.