Prediction of Advanced Nitramine Propellant Burning Rates with the CYCLOPS Code
Abstract
The ability to predict the burning rate of a propellant from its ingredients would be an extremely valuable aid to the formulation of new propellants. We have been developing such a capability over the last 5 years and recently described its use for nitrate-ester propellants. In this report, we first present results of applying this model (the CYCLOPS code) to advanced nitramines propellants, both cyclotrimethyeletrinitramine (RDX) and hexanitrohexaazaisowirtzitane (CL20) oxidizers in an energetic binder made of a bisazidomethylene oxetane-azidomethylenemethyl oxetane (BAMO-AMMO) mixture. A substantial revision in the available gas-phase reaction mechanism previously used for neat RDX was required, necessitating Quantum-Rice. Ramsperger-Kassel calculations for many new reaction paths. The resulting mechanism grew from 45 species and 232 reversible elementary reactions to 80 species and 550 revemible elementary reactions. Burning rates computed by the model compared very well with measured rates for both the RDX- and CL20-based propellants. Temperature profile measurements were available for the RDX propellant only, but the code computations indicated a much shorter dark zone than that measured with microthermocouples. These are the first calculations of burning rates for advanced nitramine propellants, and the results are encouraging.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA416019
Entities
People
- Martin S. Miller
- William R. Anderson
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory