Erosive Burning of Composite Propellants
Abstract
Increasing use of solid rocket motors with low port-to-throat area ratios, including the ultimate case of nozzleless motors, is leading to increased occurrence and severity of burning rate augmentation due to flow of propellant products across burning propellant surfaces (erosive burning). A review of the literature regarding this phenomenon indicates a lack of systematic data defining the effects of propellants formulation variables on the sensitivity of burning rate to crossflow velocity and the absence of a realistic predictive model for composite propellant burning rate-pressure-velocity relationships. In this paper, a physically realistic picture of the effect of crossflow velocity on composite propellant combustion is presented and a relatively simple analytical model based upon this picture is developed for prediction of composite propellant burning rate as a function of pressure and crossflow velocity, given only the burning rate-pressure relationship in the absence of cross-flow. In addition, hardware developed for testing erosive burning effects at cross flow Mach numbers up to 1.0 is described and a planned systematic test matrix is defined. Preliminary test results are included and compared with predictions made using the aforementioned analytical model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA033975
Entities
People
- Merrill K. King
Organizations
- ARCO