DEVELOPMENT OF PROPELLANTS CONTAINING AN ENERGETIC OXIDIZER.
Abstract
United Technology Center (UTC) has conducted a program to improve and characterize the stability of propellants containing nitronium perchlorate (NP). Major emphasis was placed on the use of uncoated NP, UTREZ prepolymer (carboxy-terminated polyisobutylene), and NTEB crosslinker (a trifunctional aziridine). Reta-coated NP was employed in limited studies. Candidate plasticizers studied included nitroparaffins and paraffinic hydrocarbons. The most promising plasticizers were HMN (heptamethylnonane) and excess aziridine (NTEB and MAPO). Increased solids loadings without impairment of stability were obtained by control of NP particle size, use of ammonium perchlorate as a supplementary oxidizer, and use of increased concentrations of aluminum fuel. The increase of propellant life obtainable by storage at reduced temperatures was studied in detail. The most thermally stable formulations exhibited exotherms beginning below 100 C and culminating rapidly in ignition. All formulations, even under mild storage conditions, lost thermal stability at unacceptably high rates. The intrinsic stability of NP is regarded as inadequate to justify further effort with this oxidizer. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0383765
Entities
People
- Thomas P. Rudy