Temperature sensitivity of pressure in a rocket motor

A change of burning rate resulting from a change of initial propellant temperature changes the equilibrium pressure, p in a rocket motor. Thus, one needs to introduce the temperature sensitivity of pressure in the combustion chamber, itj , which is defined similarly to o  

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Fig. 14.10 Pressure increase in a rocket motor versus pressure exponent of burning rate as a function of temperature sensitivity.

Conclusion The Commission concluded that the cause of the Challenger accident was the failure of the pressure seal in the aft field joint of the right solid rocket motor. The failure was due to a faulty design unacceptably sensitive to a number of factors. These factors were the effects of temperature, physical dimensions, the character of materials, the effects of reusability, processing, and the reaction of the joint to djmaniic loading. 

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