Metal powder-organic polymer reactions

The newest oxidizer to appear in significant use in pyrotechnics, anunonium perchlorate (AP), has found considerable use in modem solid-fuel rocket propellants and in the firewoiks industry. The Space Shuttle alone uses approximately 2 million pounds of solid fuel per launch the mixture is 70% ammonium perchlorate, 16% almninum metal, and 14% organic polymer/epoxy, with a trace of iron oxide catalyst that can be varied to modify the bum rate. The aluminum powder is a surprising ingredient to find in a propellant, since it generates solid rather than gaseous reaction products, but its substantial heat output as a fuel and its excellent thermal conductivity both contribute to an enhancement of the bum rate of this propellant formulation. 

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