Burning Rate Studies: Potassium-Doped Ammonium Perchlorate with Other Burn-Rate Modifiers

Abstract

Iron oxide and copper chromite have been used as burn-rate modifiers of composite solid propellants. In recent times, studies have been reported on potassium-doped ammonium perchlorate and on dry activated charcoal. These have shown an increase in composite solid propellant burning rates. The studies on composite solid propellants using dry activated charcoal have also shown a reduction in the burn-rate pressure index for a composite solid propellant. With this knowledge, experiments are conducted to develop compositions that result in both high burning rates and low burn-rate pressure index of the propellant. In addition to these, the study also reports propellants with dual burn-rate pressure index. The change in the burn-rate pressure index is from 0.2 to 0.65 in one of the propellants. These could be very useful in that the same grain can act as boost and sustain grain depending on the combustion chamber pressure. With the addition of different burn-rate modifiers, the pressure at which the change in burn-rate pressure index is observed shifts. This could be a very useful tool for propellant designers. It was observed that, with the use of activated charcoal along with potassium-doped ammonium perchlorate, the burn-rate pressure index was brought down from around 0.65 to 0.38, whereas the burn rates were still higher (60%) than the base propellant.