SMOKELESS HIGH ENERGY PROPELLANTS,
Abstract
To meet present and future Army propellant requirements, high energy smokeless propellants based on two different binder systems are being developed. One binder is a nitrate ester system using a copolymer of petrin acrylate and acrylic acid with nitrate ester plasticizer; the other is a difluoramino binder system with NFPA/acrylic acid copolymer and TVOPA plasticizer. A diepoxide curing agent is used for both systems. The oxidizer is HMX and lead oxide is used as ballistic modifier. Theoretical specific impulse values of greater than 250 sec can be obtained for compositions with either binder system. Strand burning rate measurement showed the propellants to be relatively insensitive to particle size effects. Burning rates of propellants were approximately 0.3 in./sec at 1000 psi. Static testing in 2-in. x 4-in. and 2-in. x 8-in. motors gave an I sub sps of 224.5 lbf-sec/lbm for a petrin acrylate smokeless propellant, which represents an efficiency of better than 95%. Visual and photographic observation confirmed the smokeless exhaust of 6-in. x 11-in. motor firings at ambient temperature and humidity conditions. Both binder systems gave propellants of Class 7 in small-scale card-gap tests. The mechanical properties were good with 17 microns HMX; tensile strengths of 100 psi were achieved with 50% elongation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0381352
Entities
People
- P. H. Gehlhaus