Erosive Burning of Composite Solid Propellants
Abstract
The erosive burning characteristics of a series of eight composite solid propellants with systematically varied composition and particle size parmeters have been measured over a wide range of pressures and crossflow velocities. Predictions of erosive burning made using a simplified version of a composite propellant erosive burning model based on columnar diffusion flame bending have been found to agree reasonably well with data, except under conditions where the propellant heterogeneity is unimportant. Theory and experiment both indicate an increase in erosion sensitivity with increased pressure over the range of conditions studied. It appears that the dominant factor influencing the sensitivity of composite propellant burning rate to crossflow is the base (no crossflow) burning rate versus pressure behavior of the propellant (lower base burning rate leading to increased crossflow sensitivity), with other factors having at most a second order effect except through their influence on base burning rate. Emphasizing this point, three propellants with widely differing compositional and ingredient particle size parameters, but with essentially the same base burning rate versus pressure relationship, exhibited nearly identical erosive burning characteristics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA098088
Entities
People
- Merrill K. King
Organizations
- ARCO