Influence of different crosslinking mixtures on the mechanical properties of composite solid rocket propellants based on HTPB

Abstract

The crosslinking agent is a vital key which affects the mechanical properties of composite solid rocket propellants (CSRPs). Under this scheme, the effect of crosslinking mixtures (CMs) based on trimethylolpropane (TMP) as a triol crosslinker and butanediol (BD) as a chain extender on CSRPs based on hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene was investigated. A series of 27 propellant compositions was formulated to study the mechanical properties of the prepared CSRPs. The effect of changing the weight ratio of TMP to BD in the CM was studied. In addition, the influence of increasing the percentage of CM (from 0% to 0.5%) in the prepared samples was investigated. Also, the effect of the CM on CSRPs containing different curing ratio of NCO/OH = 0.7, 0.75, and 0.8 was studied to generate the largest possible strain-ability with high strength over different levels of curing conditions. The mechanical characteristics (tensile strength and strain) of the prepared CSRPs have been measured and plotted versus CM content, NCO/OH and TMP:BD ratio. Generally, the addition of CM leads to a remarkable enhancement in the propellant mechanical properties. Samples containing TMP:BD (2:1) provide the highest strength while samples containing TMP:BD (1:2) show the highest strain over all the NCO/OH ratios. Formulations with TMP:BD (1:1) give high strength with moderate strain. Variation in CM content has a remarkable influence on the mechanical properties of CSRPs. A wide range of tensile strength and strain were obtained from this study to offer variety of results suitable for different applications in the CSRPs technology.