Condensed-Phase Processes during Solid Propellant Combustion. 3. Preliminary Depth-Profiling Studies on XM39, JA2, M9, M30, and HMX2

Abstract

This report describes preliminary depth-profiling studies on the chemical changes in the burned layers of propellant samples that have been burned in air, then quenched by dropping them into water. The changes studied described here are mainly those observable by infrared spectroscopy using an infrared microscope. Depth-profiling is obtained either by examining the cross section of a burned propellant sample or by abrasive blasting small amounts of material from the burned surface and examining the remaining surface in the infrared microscope. The propellants and compositions studied include XM39, JA2, M9, M30, and HMX2. For the nitramine-binder compositions XM39 and HMX2, the surface layers seem to consist of a layer of molten oxidizer (RDX or HMX) tens to hundreds of micrometers thick, overlaid by a 10- or 20-micrometer-thick layer of binder and/or its decomposition products. In the case of the nitrate ester compositions JA2 and M9, the chemical changes observable by infrared spectroscopy seem to be very near the surface, within approximately 10 micrometers. This is in agreement with our scanning electron microscope observations and with results in the literature.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1994
Accession Number
ADA276595

Entities

People

  • Claire J. Selawski
  • Gurbax Singh
  • Martin S. Miller
  • Michael A. Schroeder
  • Robert A. Fifer
  • Rose A. Pesce-rodriguez

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abrasive Blasting
  • Chemical Analysis
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Combustion
  • Decomposition
  • Double Base Propellants
  • Energetic Materials
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Liquid Chromatography
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Science
  • Military Research
  • Propellants
  • Solid Propellants
  • Spectroscopy

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Spectroscopy.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene