STUDIES ON CURING OF GLYCIDYL AZIDE POLYMER USING ISOCYANATE, ACRYLATE AND PROCESSING OF GAP-BORON-BASED, FUEL-RICH PROPELLANTS

摘要

There has always been a keen interest in developing new energetic binders for solid rocket propellants, which could provide a high level of energy to meet the demands of futuristic missiles. Glycidylazide polymer (GAP) being an energetic binder has many advantages compared to conventional binders such as naphthalene and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), etc., The energetic properties of GAP binders are derived from the azido groups, which undergo exothermic decomposition and release energy. In addition, GAP can meet the requirements for fuel-rich propellant, due to its unique characteristics such as positive heat of formation, exothermic decomposition, high density, and sustained combustion even with low oxidizer content. An attempt has been made to compare the curing of GAP using isocyanates and acrylates. This paper presents the comparative data on spectral and thermal studies of GAP cured with different percentages of hexane diol diacrylate and with a mixture of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and Desmodur N-100. Based on the comparative curing studies, GAP-boron-based fuel-rich propellants were processed and evaluated for safety parameters, burn rate, and ballistic properties.