Rocket propellant composition

Polyhedral Boron Hydrides. These are used in neutron capture therapy of cancers (254), and as bum rate modifiers (accelerants) in gun and rocket propellant compositions. 

A Small but important daSS of fOi mUlatiOnS comprises the Composite Solid Rocket Propellants. Composites typically contain a major amount of an oxidizer such as AP or HMX, a metal powder such as Al, a binder which is one or another type of rubber (or double-base), and up to a dozen trace ingredients such as catalysts, stabilizers, etc. There are literally hundreds of formulations, all to a degree similar and the choice comes down to specific missions, economics, and special requirements Loading of End Items. The blends and formulations described above may be loaded into their hardware in the plant where they are made, or they may be shipped to another plant for Load/... 

Composite propellants, 10 737. See also Composite rocket propellants Composite refractories, 21 483 Composite reinforcements, 5 554-557 integrity, 5 577-578 Composite rocket propellants, 10 726 Composites... 

Misch metal, an alloy of cerium with other lanthanides is a pyrophoric substance and is used to make gas lighters and ignition devices. Some other applications of the metal or its alloys are in solid state devices rocket propellant compositions as getter in vacuum tubes and as a diluent for plutonium in nuclear fuel. 

There are many other ingredients that are added to explosive compositions which in themselves are not explosive but can enhance the power of explosives, reduce the sensitivity, and aid processing. Aluminium powder is frequently added to explosive and propellant compositions to improve their efficiency. Ammonium nitrate (NH4N03) is used extensively in commercial explosives and propellants. It is the most important raw material in the manufacture of commercial explosives and it also provides oxygen in rocket propellant compositions. Some of the properties of ammonium nitrate are presented in Table 2.22. 

Rocket Propellants—Development of Improved Solventless Rocket Propellant Composition , PATR 1851 (1951) 4) J.E. Rainier J.M. 

Tihe continuing search for more energetic rocket propellant compositions A has focused attention on several previously unexplored fields of chemistry. Compounds containing fluorine bound to nitrogen offer attractive prospects in such applications. Since effective utilization of any chemical system requires an understanding of the components involved, we have studied the reactions of some simple model compounds of this class. 

Obviously, solid rocket propellant compositions have advanced considerably since the days of gunpowder, and it might be mentioned, in passing, that even as late as the Second World War, the Allies held the... 

Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is used extensively in commercial explosives and propellants. It is the most important raw material in the manufacture of commercial explosives and it also provides oxygen in rocket propellant compositions. Some of the properties of ammonium nitrate are presented in Table 2.27. 

Polymer-based rocket propellants are generally referred to as composite propellants, and often identified by the elastomer used, eg, urethane propellants or carboxy- (CTPB) or hydroxy- (HTPB) terrninated polybutadiene propellants. The cross-linked polymers act as a viscoelastic matrix to provide mechanical strength, and as a fuel to react with the oxidizers present. Ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate are the most common oxidizers used nitramines such as HMX or RDX may be added to react with the fuels and increase the impulse produced. Many other substances may be added including metallic fuels, plasticizers, stabilizers, catalysts, ballistic modifiers, and bonding agents. Typical components are Hsted in Table 1. 

Table 1. Typical Components of Composite Rocket Propellants...

Oxidizers. The characteristics of the oxidizer affect the baUistic and mechanical properties of a composite propellant as well as the processibihty. Oxidizers are selected to provide the best combination of available oxygen, high density, low heat of formation, and maximum gas volume in reaction with binders. Increases in oxidizer content increase the density, the adiabatic flame temperature, and the specific impulse of a propellant up to a maximum. The most commonly used inorganic oxidizer in both composite and nitroceUulose-based rocket propellant is ammonium perchlorate. The primary combustion products of an ammonium perchlorate propellant and a polymeric binder containing C, H, and O are CO2, H2, O2, and HCl. Ammonium nitrate has been used in slow burning propellants, and where a smokeless exhaust is requited. Nitramines such as RDX and HMX have also been used where maximum energy is essential. 

Solventless Extrusion Process. The solvendess process for making double-base propellants has been used ia the United States primarily for the manufacture of rocket propellant grains having web thickness from ca 1.35 to 15 cm and for thin-sheet mortar (M8) propellant. The process offers such advantages as minimal dimensional changes after extmsion, the elimination of the drying process, and better long-term baUistic uniformity because there is no loss of volatile solvent. The composition and properties of typical double-base solvent extmded rocket and mortar propellant are Hsted ia Table... 

Particulate Composites. These composites encompass a wide range of materials. As the word particulate suggests, the reinforcing phase is often spherical or at least has dimensions of similar order ia all directions. Examples are concrete, filled polymers (18), soHd rocket propellants, and metal and ceramic particles ia metal matrices (1). 

Sohd rocket propellants represent a very special case of a particulate composite ia which inorganic propellant particles, about 75% by volume, are bound ia an organic matrix such as polyurethane. An essential requirement is that the composite be uniform to promote a steady burning reaction (1). Further examples of particulate composites are those with metal matrices and iaclude cermets, which consist of ceramic particles ia a metal matrix, and dispersion hardened alloys, ia which the particles may be metal oxides or intermetallic compounds with smaller diameters and lower volume fractions than those ia cermets (1). The general nature of particulate reinforcement is such that the resulting composite material is macroscopicaHy isotropic. 

Rugg, Feasibility Studies Relative to using New Polymers and Plastics as Inhibitors to Replace Composition Presently Being Used With Rocket Propellant Grains of 155mm HE RAP (Rocket Assisted Projectile) , Final Rept — May-Dec 75, Contract DAAA21-75-C-0267, NY Univ, NY (1975) 11) T. Takayama, JapP 7518052... 

The third type of propellent explosive, the composite type, is a more recent development, the purpose of which is to provide rocket propellants of increased thrust, compared with the ordinary varieties. Composite propellants are based on an oxidising solid, commonly a perchlorate, together with an organic binder which both acts as fuel and gives adequate mechanical strength to the mixture. The search for even more energetic compositions continues, but because of the military importance of the... 

Taylor, J., Solid Propellent and Exothermic Compositions. Newnes, London, 1959. Warren, F. A., Rocket Propellants. Reinhold, New York, 1958. 

H0 can be calculated from the propellant composition, but He must be obtained by successive approximation, assuming that the final state of the exhaust gases is known. For present purposes, it is sufficient to note that H0 — He correlates well with the heat of explosion of the solid explosive. In order to obtain the maximum thrust from a rocket it is therefore necessary to achieve the highest combustion temperature, but also necessary to produce gases with the lowest mean molecular weight. 

It produces acceptable slurry compositions for processing burster energetics and rocket propellants. 

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