Turbulent Boundary-Layer Analysis and Experimental Investigation of Erosive Burning Problem of Composite Solid Propellants

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequently encountered phenomenon of erosive burning of composite solid propellants in rocket motors. Both theoretical and experimental studies were undertaken. In the theoretical model, the propellant burning process was described by considering a steady, two-dimensional, chemically reacting, turbulent boundary layer over a propellant surface. The diffusion-controlled gas-phase chemical reaction was modeled on the basis of the eddy-break-up concept. The theoretical model, comprised of a set of partial differential equations, was solved numerically. In the experimental work, a flat composite-propellant slab was burned in a test chamber by the flow of hot combustion gases which formed a turbulent boundary layer over the surface of the propellant. The burning rate of the propellant was measured by a high-speed motion picture technique at various pressures and free-stream velocities. Comparison of the theoretical results with the experimental data, obtained from the present study and that obtained from existing literature, showed a close agreement.