ROCKET PROPELLANT Subject

The energetic nitramines, RDX and HMX, provide excellent impulse and nonsmoky exhaust, but their use gives propellants that may detonate when subjected to shock or impact. The possibility of unwanted violent burning or detonation of propellants during transport or storage has resulted in recent emphasis on the development of insensitive (reduced hazard) rocket propellants for tactical applications. Special attention are required in using these energetic materials.47... 

Explosives that propagate detonation are listed as Class 1.1 in international transportation regulations and are subject to strict regulations for their transportation 1 11. Rocket propellants are not considered exceptions. Concerning safe handling, safety evaluation tests are being conducted to determine the hazard classification for rocket propellants 171. ... 

His patents (many with coinventors) were concerned with many subjects, including a leavening process, refining hydrocarbons, plastics, manufacture of alkyl nitrates, lubricants, additives, corrosion-proof liners, diesel fuel, alcohol-gasoline compositions. plasticizers, stabilized polymers, paving compositions, seed treatment, rocket propellent, and encapsulated oxidants. 

In many situations in industrial chemistry, some important measured property of a product is a function of the proportions in which a set of p ingredients or components is represented in a mixture leading to the product. For example, case studies in the literature have covered subjects ranging from octanes of gasoline blends, discussed by Snee to strengths of different formulations of ABS pipe compound, treated in Koons and Wilt to aftertaste intensities of different blends of artificial sweeteners used in an athletic sport drink, discussed by Cornell to moduli of elasticity of different rocket propellant formulations, considered by Kurotori. For experimenting in such contexts, special statistical techniques are needed. These tools have been discussed at length by Cornell, and our purpose here is not to... 

In what follows we will briefly describe the various types of jet propulsion systems and give a list of references to the voluminous literature that has appeared on this subject since the publication of the above book (1959). The reader is also referred to the following Encyclopedia articles Combustion Hypergolic Propellants Ignition Propellants and Rockets... 

Rockets. As clearly stated a rocket is differentiated from a fluid flow engine in that a rocket generates its thrust entirely from reacting material carried within it, while a fluid flow system takes in material (air) from the outside. The subject of rockets will be described in more detail under Rockets and some material pertaining to rockets has already been described under Hypergolic Propellants and under Ignition. Here we just outline the type of rockets in use or under development ... 

Grain collapse. This is a problem which exists in some rockets where an appreciable pressure difference can develop between the forward and aft ends of the rocket. The latter is subjected to compressive forces which can squeeze it. A propellant of high tensile strength is therefore desirable. 

There are a number of useful background references on solid propellants and their combustion. Most books on rocket propulsion devote at least one chapter to solid propellants [l]-[5]. No less than three books [6] [8] have been concerned solely with solid-propellant topics, the last [8] being a 700-page text on the subject. Readers may consult this literature for more detailed information. 

The field of propulsion deals with the means by which aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft are propelled toward their destinations. Subjects of development include propellers and rotors driven by internal combustion engines or jet engines, rockets powered by solid- or liquid-fueled engines, spacecraft powered by ion engines, solar sails or nuclear reactors, and matter-antimatter engines. Propulsion system metrics include thrust, power, cycle efficiency, propulsion efficiency, specific impulse, and thrust-specific fuel consumption. Advances in this field have enabled hiunanity to travel across the world in a few hours, visit space and the Moon, and send probes to distant planets. 

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