Abstract
Nitrate ester decomposition in propellant systems leads to a slow buildup of internal gas pressure which potentially can create internal porosity, void formation, and fracture. While related experimental techniques currently available can provide information on ultimate propellant fracture by monitoring gross property changes, few procedures were available to monitor prefracture changes. This study used bulk compressibility measurements to define changes in internal void content (porosity) in solid propellants due to gas evolution. The rate of internal void formation was determined in three propellant families: composite modified double-base (CMDB), crosslinked double-base (XLDB), and nitrate ester polyether (NEPE) systems. Good correlation was found between void content and location in a 16-in. cube and bulk compressibility measurements as well as Xray examination. Elevated temperature storage at 158 and 176 °F was used to accelerate the void formation in the three propellant systems. The CMDB propellant exhibited the highest void formation rate of the three propellants. The utility of recent developments in fracture mechanics applied to gas generation induced voids was also explored in this study.
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