Temperature Sensitivity and High-Pressure Characteristics of Nano-Sized Additives in AP/HTPB-Composite Propellants

摘要

Solid propellants are used in a variety of applications and are often exposed to a wide range of pressures and temperatures. While many facilities are capable of determining propellant burning rates and temperature sensitivities, few fulfill both requirements. Additionally, most studies only determine burning rates up to 15.5 MPa (2250 psi). Therefore, a new very high-pressure strand burner for determining both burning rates up to pressures of 68.9 MPa (10,000 psi) and temperature sensitivity was developed and characterized at Texas A&M University. The development and design of the new strand burner and facility is summarized along with testing procedures and diagnostics. Low-temperature sensitivity tests were performed by placing the entire vessel horizontally into a freezer and cooling it to -88°F. Alternatively, high-temperature tests were performed by mounting the strand burner vertically and wrapping resistance heating tape around the vessel and heating it to an initial temperature of 194°F. The high-pressure tests above 5000 psi were performed using an air-supplied gas booster. The burning rate results were then validated through a comparison of the new data to historical data. Similarly, the temperature sensitivity results were qualitatively verified by comparing them to previously reported data.