The relationship between plateau burning behavior and ammonium perchlorate particle size in HTPB-AP composite propellants

Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Combust. Flame; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-2180(87)90099-X· OSTI ID:6712737

Fong, C W; Smith, R F

The burning rates of series of bi- and trimodal AP-HTPB propellants have been incorporated into an empirical statistical model which describes a hypothetical pentamodal polydisperse AP pseudopropellant. This pseudopropellant is the linear summation of five unimodal polydisperse AP pseudopropellants. The five AP particle size distributions cover the range from 400 to 20 ..mu..m weight median diameter. The experimental propellants have been further subdivided into plateau burning and nonplateau burning propellants. The statistical model has been used to generate a plateau burning and a nonplateau burning pentamodal AP pseudopropellant. Plateau burning behavior in this propellant system (when compared to nonplateau burning behavior) appears to result from an enhanced burning rate at low pressures and a reduced burning rate at high pressures for the unimodal 20 ..mu..m AP pseudopropellant. It is speculated that such behavior is consistent with the presence of a binder melt on the burning surface. The larger AP unimodal pseudopropellants also show low burning rates and plateau burning behavior. Such behavior appears to be the result of variations in the importance of the AP monopropellant flame as a function of pressure and AP particle size. A melt layer on the AP particle surface during combustion may be the cause of the plateau burning behavior in the larger AP unimodal pseudopropellants. The temperature sensitivity of the unimodal pseudopropellants increases as a function of the AP particle size. Plateau burning behavior is maintained over the temperature range from 0/sup 0/ to 55/sup 0/C.

• Research Organization: Weapons Systems Research Lab., Defence Research Centre Salisbury, Adelaide
• OSTI ID: 6712737
• Journal Information: Combust. Flame; (United States), Journal Name: Combust. Flame; (United States) Vol. 67:3; ISSN CBFMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400800* -- Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM PERCHLORATES
BINDERS
BUTADIENE
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMBUSTION KINETICS
DIENES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
KINETICS
LAYERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
MELTING
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PERCHLORATES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POLYENES
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
PROPELLANTS
REACTION KINETICS
SIZE
STATISTICAL MODELS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS