AXIAL MODE COMBUSTION INSTABILITY IN SOLID PROPELLANT ROCKET MOTORS
Abstract
A comparison was made of the combustion instability characteristics of several commercial composite propellants. Tests were made at 300 cps in the pressure range 300-1,500 psi, using a center-vented burner configuration to minimize acoustic losses in axial acoustic modes. In addition, tests were made on the effect of aluminum particle size of a polyurethane-ammonium perchlorate-aluminum propellant. All propellants tested were found to be unstable in the low-loss burner. At low pressures, instability was spontaneous with all of the commercial propellants, while two of these propellants were stable at high pressure unless a pressure pulse was introduced by a small powder charge. Two forms of instability were observed, one manifested by sustained, mild, sinusoidal pressure oscillations in the first axial mode of the burner. The other form was manifested by very severe first-mode oscillations with major increases in mean burning rate. Changes in aluminum particle size led to a complicated array of instability behavior as a function of particle size and pressure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0356596
Entities
People
- B. A. Sword
- E. W. Price
- H. B. Mathes
- H. J. Sprouse
Organizations
- Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake