Introduction to Solid Rocket Propulsion

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present the fundamentals of solid rocket motor (SRM) propulsion. The following topics are covered: the history of SRMs; the basic components of an SRM; the efficiency of an SRM as defined by specific impulse; the characteristics of SRM operation as established by global conservation laws; transformation of the solid propellant to combustion products, which results in changes in pressure and thrust; aspects of an SRM's design that influence aerodynamics and operation, including burning rate and grain design; steady state operation; transient unsteady regimes; computational description of SRM internal aerodynamics; and obstacles to better prediction of the turbulence generated by combustion, unsteady propellant combustion, and fluid-structure coupling.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA425146

Entities

People

  • P. Kuentzmann

Organizations

  • Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Burning Rate
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Combustion
  • Combustion Chambers
  • Combustion Products
  • Composite Propellants
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Ignition
  • Liquid Propellants
  • Mach Number
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Rocket Engines
  • Rocket Propulsion
  • Solid Propellants

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Rocket Propulsion.