Mesa burning

It was soon realized that platonized propellants, with their reduced temperature sensitivity in the plateau- and mesa-burning range, could be effectively used to minimize the sensitivity of the performance of a rocket to the temperature of the environment. Much work has been devoted to understanding the mechanism of plateau and mesa burning, with a view to optimizing the performance characteristics of rocket motors. 

Fig. 6.21 Definition of super-rate, plateau, and mesa burnings of a catalyzed double-base propellant.

NG and NC-TMETN are not quite the same due to small differences in chemical structure and in the energy levels of the propellants, the burning characteristics of NC-NG and NC-TMETN propellants are broadly similar and the action of the catalysts in terms of producing super-rate, plateau, and mesa burning is the same for both propellants. 

Combustion Models of Super-Rate, Plateau, and Mesa Burning... 

As the burning rate increases in the high-pressure region, the formation of carbonaceous materials diminishes and hence the super-rate burning also diminishes and becomes plateau burning. This negative catalytic effect of lead compounds is considered to produce mesa burning. 

The pressure exponent of burning rate is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of catalysts in producing plateau and mesa burning.[1 -23] pressure ex-... 

Mixture of bismuth and copper salts of hydroxy substituted benzoic acids Produce plateau and mesa burning characteristics in propellants [246]. 

---