Solid rocket motor

Another application of laser-based profilometry is the inspection of rocket and missile components. The U.S. Air Force has funded work to develop a non-contact laser-based profilometer for the inside surface of solid rocket motors. Over time, these devices are subject to slumping and cracking, which could potentially render the rocket motor ineffective and hazardous. When fully implemented, this system will provide a meaningful screening method for evaluating the condition of aging rocket motors. 

T. D. Wilson and O. T. Moskios, Disposal of Solid Rocket Motor Propellants, CPTR89-45, CPIA Pubhcations, Johns Hopkins Urdveisity, Lauiel, Md., July 1989. 

Monographs on rockets and rocket propellants by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Lewis Research Center, Cleveland. These iaclude the foUowiag Solid Propellant Selection and Characteri tion, Report SP-8064,1971 Solid Rocket Motor Peformance, Report SP-8039,1971 Solid Rocket Motor Igniters, Report SP-8051,1971 Solid Rocket Motor Metal Cases, Report SP-8025, 1970, and Captive Eire Testing of Solid Rocket Motors, Report SP-8041,1971. 

In contrast, there is also current interest in investigating PAN-based fibers in low thermal conductivity composites [62], Such fibers are carbonized at low temperature and offer a substitute to rayon-based carbon fibers in composites designed for solid rocket motor nozzles and exit cones. 

A solid propellant is a mechanical (heterogeneous) or a chemical (homogeneous, or colloidal) mixture of solid-state fuel and oxidizer-rich chemicals. Specially-formed charges of solid propellant (grains) arc placed in the combustion chamber of the solid rocket motor (SRM) at a production facility. Once assembled, the engine does not require additional maintenance, making it simple, reliable and easy to use. 

These studies have also shown that the decomposition proceeds through a series of intermediate steps to finally yield N2, CO, C02, and H20 at pressures typical of solid rocket motors. 

FIGURE 12.18 Stress-strain curves of rubber-fiber composites developed for solid rocket motor insulator A, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber-carbon fiber composites B, EPDM mbber-melamine fiber composites C, EPDM mbber-aramid fiber composites and D, EPDM rubber-aramid pulp composites. 1 and 2 stands for unaged and aged composites respectively. Carbon fiber- and melamine fiber-reinforced composites contain resorcinol, hexamine, and silica in the concentrations 10, 6 and 15, respectively and aramid fiber- and aramid pulp-based composites contain resorcinol, hexamine, and silica in the concentrations 5, 3 and 15, respectively. (From Rajeev, R.S., Bhowmick, A.K., De, S.K., and John, B., Internal communication. Rubber Technology Center, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, 2002.)... 

LMS adaptive and Neural Large-scale solid rocket motor [14] 1. Sensitive to initial conditions and gradient dynamic parameters... 

Two types of igniters are used for ignition in solid rocket motors, those giving (i) high-volumetric and (ii) high-temperature combustion products. The combustion... 

Kubota, N., Principles of Solid Rocket Motor Design, Pyrotechnics Chemistry, J. of Pyrotechnics, Inc., Whitewater, CO (2004), Chapter 12. 

Injection of species into the stratosphere associated with these launches includes emissions not only from the rocket exhaust but also from ablation of the solid rocket motors, the paint on the outer hulls, and hardware from satellites and discarded portions of rockets in the atmosphere (Zolensky et al., 1989). The increase in launches of such vehicles has led to a significant increase in particles associated with solid rocket use. Figure 12.10, for example, shows the concentration of large (>l-/xm diameter) solid stratospheric particles in the 17- to 19-km altitude region from 1976 to 1984,... 

Hanning-Lee, M. A., B. B. Brady, L. R. Martin, and J. A. Syage, Ozone Decomposition on Alumina Implications for Solid Rocket Motor Exhaust, Geophys. Res. Lett, 23, 1961-1964 (1996). 

Ross, M Local Effects of Solid Rocket Motor Exhaust on Stratospheric Ozone, J. Spacecraft Rockets, 33, 144-353 (1996). 

Since the development of this terpolymer in 1957, more solid composite rocket propellant has been produced from PBAN than from any other single prepolymer. Propellants based on this material have been used successfully in applications ranging from small tactical motors to the 260-in. diameter motor containing greater than 2,000,000 lb. of propellant. PBAN propellants, therefore, have been and are expected to be a major factor in making solid rocket motors during the next several years. The thermal stability which has been achieved, low temperature cycling characteristics, and low cost of propellants based on this prepolymer make this system attractive. 

Propellants based on carboxyl-terminated polybutadienes have been used successfully in many solid rocket motors. These propellants provide... 

Although the uniaxial test has traditionally received the most attention, such tests alone may be insufficient to characterize adequately the mechanical capability of solid propellants. This is especially true for ultimate property determinations where a change in load application from one axis to several at once may strongly affect the relative ranking of propellants according to their breaking strains. Since the conditions usually encountered in solid rocket motors lead to the development of multiaxial stress fields, tests which attempt to simulate these stress fields may be expected to represent more closely the true capability of the material. 

Anhydrous perchloric acid is not sold commercially, Aqueous solutions of perchloric acid are sold at low concentrations foi analytical standard applications and at concentrations up to 70%. The price for 70% perchloric acid varies and starts at 2.70/kg, depending on the quantity and level of impurities. The U.S. domestic capacity of ammonium perchlorate is roughly estimated at 31,250 t/yr. The actual production vanes, based on the requirements for solid propellants. Environmental effects of the decomposition products, which result from using solid rocket motors based on ammonium perchlorate-containing propellants, are expected to keep increasing public pressure until consumption is reduced and alternatives are developed. Approximately 450 t/yr of NH+ClCXt-equivalent cell liquor is sold to produce magnesium and lithium perchlorate for use in the production of batteries. 

Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Solid Rocket Motor Components , NASA Rept TR-32-234 (1961) (AD-273824) 93) D.S. Billington ... 

New prepolymers based on 3,3-bis (azidomethyl) oxetane (BAMO) and 3-nitratomethyl- 3-methy-loxetane (NMMO) are used in advanced pintle-controllable solid rocket motor applications. These polymers yield favorable propellant energy with the combination of nitrato esters and ammonium nitrate, and allow solid propellant designs to compete with liquid propellants in arenas of energy management, approaching true start-stop-restart operation. 

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