Abstract
This study was aimed at determining the effect of microstructure on the macro-mechanical behavior of a composite solid propellant. The microstructure model of a composite solid propellant was generated using molecular dynamics algorithm. The correlation of how microstructural mechanical properties and the effect of initial interface defects in propellant act on the macro-mechanics were studied. Results of this study showed that the mechanical properties of propellant rely heavily on its mesoscopic structure. The grain filling volume fraction mainly influences the propellant initial modulus, the higher the volume fraction, the higher initial modulus. Additionally, it was found that the ratio of particles influences the tensile strength and breaking elongation rate of the propellant. The big particles could also improve the initial modulus of a propellant, but decrease its tensile strength and breaking elongation rate. Furthermore, the initial defects lowered the uniaxial tensile modulus, tensile strength, and the relaxation modulus of propellant, but did not affect the relaxation behavior of the propellant.
Highlights
Composite solid propellant is a high-energy composite material that is widely used as a power source for launch vehicles and various strategic and tactical missiles
Composite solid propellant is composed of the hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as a binder matrix and solid particles such as aluminum powder (AL), ammonium perchlorate (AP), and hexogen (RDX) as filler
This shows that the enhancement effect of larger particle size on the mechanical properties of propellant is more obvious
Summary
Composite solid propellant is a high-energy composite material that is widely used as a power source for launch vehicles and various strategic and tactical missiles. The study by Matouš and Inglis set the bonding elements in the interface layer between the particles and matrix to simulate the generation and development of interface dehumidification damage This showed that the interfacial debonding is the main reason for the macroscopic stress-strain nonlinearity of the propellant. Based on the characteristics of meso-damage of propellant, Li [10] introduced the bonding interface element between particle and matrix and described the propagation characteristics of interface damage by a bilinear cohesion model They studied the interface debonding process of propellant and its influence on macro mechanical response through finite element calculation. The effects of mesoscopic structures on the macro mechanical properties of propellant such as particle volume fraction, particle size, and initial defects were evaluated using mesoscopic finite element numerical calculation method
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