Fuel binder

R.P. Rastogi K. Kishore, Polymers as Fuel Binders in Composite Solid Propellants ,... 

Rastogi K.. Kishore, Polymers as Fuel Binders in Composite Solid Propellant s , JSciindRes 32 (6), 279-99 (1973) CA 80, 121565 (1974) 32) A. Reiche , Changes in Properties of Polyester Explosives , JahrestaglnstChemTreib-Ex-plosivstFraunhofer-Ges 1971, 423-60 (1972)... 

Composite proplnts, which are used almost entirely in rocket propulsion, normally contain a solid phase oxidizer combined with a polymeric fuel binder with a -CH2—CH2— structure. Practically speaking AP is the only oxidizer which has achieved high volume production, although ammonium nitrate (AN) has limited special uses such as in gas generators. Other oxidizers which have been studied more or less as curiosities include hydrazinium nitrate, nitronium perchlorate, lithium perchlorate, lithium nitrate, potassium perchlorate and others. Among binders, the most used are polyurethanes, polybutadiene/acrylonitrile/acrylic acid terpolymers and hydroxy-terminated polybutadienes... 

The total character of the response function is affected by changes in the pioplnt fuel binder. 

The first process in all cases is the production of the oxidiser in a suitable fine crystal size. A bimodal particle size distribution, obtained by mixing very fine with slightly coarser particles, often gives the best product. The fuel/binder is frequently prepared as a prepolymer so as to assist mixing and also to reduce the time of the later curing process. 

Composite propellant A propellant based on an oxidising salt and an organic fuel/binder. 

Fig. 7.1 A close-up view of the combustion process of AP particles and fuel binder.

A mixture of ammonium perchlorate (AP NH4CIO4) and a hydrocarbon polymer (BDR) used as fuel binder forms an AP pyrolant that generates white smoke when it burns in a humid atmosphere. The polymer acts as a binder of the AP particles to form a rubber-like material. When the AP pyrolant burns, the AP particles oxidize the hydrocarbon polymer according to ... 

At the same time binders were introduced which gave mechanical integrety to the grains as well as acting as fuels. The list of fuel/binders used in solid propellant rockets is extensive and has ranged from as-phalt/oil mixtures to polybutadiene rubbers. 

Examples of the fatty acids are oleic (c -9-octadecenoic) and linoleic (c ,c -9,12-octadecadienoic) acid. The major constituent of rosin acids is abietic acid. Uses of tall oil are tall oil rosin (31%, for paper size, protective coatings, adhesives, inks, and rubber), tall oil fatty acids (30%, in protective coatings, soaps, and inks), tall oil pitch (30%, in fuel, binders, coatings, rubber modifiers, asphalt, sizing, inks, and hardboard impregnation), and distilled tall oil (9%, in soaps, coatings, flotation, and board impregnation). 

K. Yamazaki H. Tokui, Composite Propellants Containing Epoxidized Polybutadiene as Fuel Binder , KKZ 69 (3), 575—78... 

An extrusion press used in the manuf of fuel binder composite propellants for use in US aircraft jatos is shown in Fig 6... 

Fuel-rich propellants (FRPs) with high metal content find use in ram-rockets which operate with the combustion of fuel-rich hot gases generated in the primary chamber or combustor and ram air inducted from atmosphere to a secondary chamber or combustor for full combustion. The rocket system where energy for propulsion is derived in such a manner is termed an integrated rocket-ramjet (IRR). The major benefit of a ram-rocket is substantial reduction in the weight of rocket or missile as the oxidizer need not be carried along with the propellant fuel. Fuel-rich propellant formulations for ram-rockets consist of metal fuels, binder... 

A premix is prepared by mixing the fuel binder (i.e. a polysulphide rubber in the case of the Thiokol propellant) with the necessary curing agents, inert additives, and ballistic modifiers in a double-acting paddle mixer. This mixer is equipped... 

It has been used as a fuel-binder in some US propellants (such as Unit Nos 1024, 1026,... 

CA 71, 40929g(1969) [Nitrate-fuel-binder expl compns are described which were prepd from mixts of K, Ba, or org (aliphatic or guanidine) nitrate, a fuel (C, S, sugar, a combustible metal powder, or mixts), and a resinous binder. The binder consisted of a... 

Composite rocket propellants are two-phase mixtures comprising a crystalline oxidizer in a polymeric fuel/binder matrix. The oxidizer is a finely-dispersed powder of ammonium perchlorate which is suspended in a fuel. The fuel is a plasticized polymeric material which may have rubbery properties (i.e. hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene crosslinked with a diisocyanate) or plastic properties (i.e. polycaprolactone). Composite rocket propellants can be either extruded or cast depending on the type of fuel employed. For composite propellants which are plastic in nature, the technique of extrusion is employed, whereas for composite propellants which are rubbery, cast or extruded techniques are used. 

The burning of composite rocket proplnts is more complicated because they contain many ingredients. Several oxidizers and many fuel binders are used to formulate composite compos. The burning of this class of comparatively recent proplnts has not been as well explored as the older NC-NG-base proplnts. Both Geckler(Ref 21a) and Huggett(Ref 24,p 565) present a good review of the burning mechanism as it is understood today(see also Ref 25,pp 100-1)... 

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