Combustion of Highly Loaded Composite Propellants: Study of Pressure Exponents

Abstract

Experimental results are given on the burning rate characteristics of highly loaded composite propellants. The binder used.is CTEB,. the concentration of which is fixed at 12 percent by weight with the remaining materials being oxidizers (ammonium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate) and aluminium. The propellant samples are burnt in a moderate pressure range (10 to l00 atm) and the influences of oxidants particle size and of the mixture ratio on the pressure exponent are determined. Frames from high-speed movies of the combustion of AP, AP+KP propellants showing the structure of the burning propellant surfaces at.high and low pressures help to clarify the combustion mechanism.