Factors Governing the Storage Life of Solid Propellant Rocket Motors

Abstract

The behaviour of composite and double-base propellant rocket motors on storage is reviewed and the problems of safety and deterioration in performance are considered with emphasis on the basic chemical and physical changes involved. Storage at elevated temperatures is shown to be very important and accelerated testing is used to predict the effects of much longer cool storage. Tests necessary to avoid eventual spontaneous inflammation include compatibility of ingredients and materials, temperatures of ignition, estimation of the rate of stabiliser consumption and its relation to the safe chemical life, and measurement of heat evolution to permit calculation of cook-off limitations on charge dimensions for double-base or similar reactive propellants.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1972
Accession Number
AD0744607

Entities

People

  • R. Stenson

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chemistry
  • Composite Materials
  • Composite Propellants
  • Decomposition
  • Double Base Propellants
  • Equations Of State
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Plasticizers
  • Plastics
  • Propellants
  • Rocket Propellant Grains
  • Solid Propellants

Readers

  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Theoretical Analysis.