Investigation of Gelling-Thickening Agent to Reduce Settling of Solids in Uncured Propellant.

摘要

Uncured composite char motor propellants during storage have shown settling of solids and accumulation of liquid fuel at the surface. Before use, the liquid layer must be removed - resulting in a compositional change - or the propellant must be remixed. Thickening agents were investigated for their possible ability in improving storage stability while retaining acceptable pourability. Test results showed that the thickening agents at sufficiently high levels (0.4 percent) would significantly reduce settling but also impaired pourability. Comparable improvement in storage stability was achieved by use of higher polymer/plasticizer ratios in the formulation.