SOLID ROCKET MOTORS INTERNAL BALLISTIC MODEL WITH EROSIVE AND CONDENSED PHASE CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract

ABSTRACTSolid rocket motors are used for propulsion units of both suborbital and orbitalaerospace vehicles. Their main advantages are their simplicity, low cost andreliability. Due to attainable high thrust they have a wide application as boosters (asspace shuttle boosters, Delta rocket boosters). They were also used as main stages,retrorocket units, stage separation control units, main propulsion units for suborbitalvehicles. An interior ballistics model is implemented and applied for a double baseand composite propellant boosters to be used for a boosted dart suborbital vehicle.Erosion and condensed phase are taken into account and numerical results areshown in comparison with experimental data obtained on test firings for each motor.The advantages of the implementation are that it offers a fast calculation of the mainparameters of the solid rocket motor unit (thrust, burn time, specific impulse, totalimpulse). The solid fuel characteristics and the geometry of the motor are containedwithin two input files while the results of the calculations are presented to the user ina several output files. The motors are built using steel as a casing material and testfirings are performed on a horizontal test bench.