The mechanism of lead catalysis of double-base rocket propellant combustion: Super-rate burning and the plateau/mesa phenomena

Abstract

Although double-base propellants contain a fairly complex mixture of ingredients, the most unstable compounds present are the nitrate esters, nitrocellulose and nitrate ester plasticizers, which represent the majority of most formulations; usually the ballistic additives, a lead compound and often carbon, represent from 1% to 5% of the total propellant. Energetic additives such as RDX and HMX are often present, but these nitramines are less responsive to lead catalysis which is characterized by a region of super-rate burning at lower pressures followed by a plateau region at higher pressure as the catalytic effectiveness appears to decrease and often a mesa region as the burn rate actually decreases with pressure. To explain both the super-rate burning and the plateau/mesa phenomena, one should logically examine the chemistry of decomposition of the nitrate esters to explain both lead catalysis and the apparent loss of catalysis; fortunately, examination of the reported chemistry of nitrate esters and several more recent investigations, which used sophisticated experimental techniques to examine double-base propellant combustion, provide support for a comprehensive mechanism to explain both.