AN-Azide Polymer Composite Propellants

Azide polymers such as GAP and BAMO are also used to formulate AP composite propellants in order to give improved specific impulses compared with those of the above-mentioned AP-HTPB propellants. Since azide polymers are energetic materials that burn by themselves, the use of azide polymers as binders of AP particles, with or without aluminum particles, increases the specific impulse compared to those of AP-HTPB propellants. As shown in Fig. 4.15, the maximum of 260 s is obtained at (AP) = 0.80 and is approximately 12 % higher than that of an AP-HTPB propellant because the maximum loading density of AP particles is obtained at about (AP) = 0.86 in the formulation of AP composite propellants. Since the molecular mass of the combustion products. Mg, remains relatively unchanged in the region above (AP) = 0.8, decreases rapidly as (AP) increases. 

Glycidyl azide polymer was originally developed in the USA as an -> Active Binder tor - Composite Propellants. Because this gas-producing component has been shown to have a low explosion temperature, it has been used in recent years as an active binder compound in -> LOVA gun propellant. 

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