Investigation of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene propellant breaking characteristics and mechanism impacted by submerged cavitation water jet

A submerged cavitation water jet(SCWJ)is an effective method to recycle solid propellant from obsolete solid engines by the breaking method.Solid propellant's breaking modes and mechanical process under SCWJ impact are unclear.This study aims to understand those impact breaking mechanisms.The hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB)propellant was chosen as the research material,and a self-designed test system was used to conduct impact tests at four different working pressures.The high-speed camera characterized crack propagation,and the DIC method calculated strain change during the impact process.Besides,micro and macro fracture morphologies were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM)and computed tomography(CT)scanning.The results reveal that the compressive strain concentration region locates right below the nozzle,and the shear strain region distributes symmetrically with the jet axis,which increases to 4% at first 16th ms,the compressive strain rises to 2% and 6% in the axial and transverse direction,respectively.The two tensile cracks formed first at the compression strain concentrate region,and there generate many shear cracks around the tensile cracks,and those shear cracks that develop and aggregate cause the cracks to become wider and cut through the tensile cracks,forming the tensile-shear cracks and the impact parts eventually fail.The HTPB propellant forms a breaking hole shaped conical after impact 10 s.The mass loss increases by 17 times at maximum,with the working pressure increasing by three times.Meanwhile,the damage value of the breaking hole remaining on the surface increases by 7.8 times while 2.9 times in the depth of the breaking hole.The breaking efficiency is closely affected by working pressures.The failure modes of HTPB impacted by SCWJ are classified as tensile crack-dominated and tensile-shear crack-dominated damage mechanisms.

The regulation of ferrocene-based catalysts on heat transfer in highpressure combustion of ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene/aluminum composite propellants

The regulation of the burning rate pressure exponent for the ammonium perchlorate/hydroxylterminated polybutadiene/aluminum(AP/HTPB/Al)composite propellants under high pressures is a crucial step for its application in high-pressure solid rocket motors.In this work,the combustion characteristics of AP/HTPB/Al composite propellants containing ferrocene-based catalysts were investigated,including the burning rate,thermal behavior,the local heat transfer,and temperature profile in the range of 7-28 MPa.The results showed that the exponent breaks were still observed in the propellants after the addition of positive catalysts(Ce-Fc-MOF),the burning rate inhibitor((Ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium bromide,Fc Br)and the mixture of Fc Br/catocene(GFP).However,the characteristic pressure has increased,and the exponent decreased from 1.14 to 0.66,0.55,and 0.48 when the addition of Ce-FcMOF,Fc Br and Fc Br/GFP in the propellants.In addition,the temperature in the first decomposition stage was increased by 7.50℃ and 11.40℃ for the AP/Fc Br mixture and the AP/Fc Br/GFP mixture,respectively,compared to the pure AP.On the other hand,the temperature in the second decomposition stage decreased by 48.30℃ and 81.70℃ for AP/Fc Br and AP/Fc Br/GFP mixtures,respectively.It was also found that Fc Br might generate ammonia to cover the AP surface.In this case,a reaction between the methyl in Fc Br and perchloric acid caused more ammonia to appear at the AP surface,resulting in the suppression of ammonia desorption.In addition,the coarse AP particles on the quenched surface were of a concave shape relative to the binder matrix under low and high pressures when the catalysts were added.In the process,the decline at the AP/HTPB interface was only exhibited in the propellant with the addition of Ce-Fc-MOF.The ratio of the gas-phase temperature gradient of the propellants containing catalysts was reduced significantly below and above the characteristic pressure,rather than 3.6 times of the difference in the blank propellant.Overall,the obtained results demonstrated that the pressure exponent could be effectively regulated and controlled by adjusting the propellant local heat and mass transfer under high and low pressures.

Effect of neutral polymeric bonding agent on tensile mechanical properties and damage evolution of NEPE propellant

Introducing Neutral Polymeric bonding agents(NPBA) into the Nitrate Ester Plasticized Polyether(NEPE)propellant could improve the adhesion between filler/matrix interface, thereby contributing to the development of new generations of the NEPE propellant with better mechanical properties. Therefore,understanding the effects of NPBA on the deformation and damage evolution of the NEPE propellant is fundamental to material design and applications. This paper studies the uniaxial tensile and stress relaxation responses of the NEPE propellant with different amounts of NPBA. The damage evolution in terms of interface debonding is further investigated using a cohesive-zone model(CZM). Experimental results show that the initial modulus and strength of the NEPE propellant increase with the increasing amount of NPBA while the elongation decreases. Meanwhile, the relaxation rate slows down and a higher long-term equilibrium modulus is reached. Experimental and numerical analyses indicate that interface debonding and crack propagation along filler-matrix interface are the dominant damage mechanism for the samples with a low amount of NPBA, while damage localization and crack advancement through the matrix are predominant for the ones with a high amount of NPBA. Finally, crosslinking density tests and simulation results also show that the effect of the bonding agent is interfacial rather than due to the overall crosslinking density change of the binder.

AP assembled on ultrafine aluminum particle and its application to NEPE propellant

Coating modification is an important way to enhance the reactivity of aluminum powder.In this paper,ammonium perchlorate and aluminum powder were assembled into energetic microunits by liquid deposition method.Spherical particles with AP as shell and ultrafine aluminum powder as the core(Al@AP)were gained.The micromorphology results show that the coated particles are about 5μm,and the coating layer is evenly distributed on the outer surface of aluminum powder,indicating a complete coating.The energetic microunits were implanted into the nitrate ester plasticizing adhesive system(NEPE)as solid phase fillers.The effect of filler on the rheological properties,safety,mechanical properties,thermal reaction and energy properties of the system was analyzed by comparing with the raw aluminum filler.The test results show that the rheological properties,mechanical properties and pressure index of NEPE containing system Al@AP meets the requirements of solid propellant charging.Compared with Al based propellant,the mechanical sensitivity and thermal sensitivity are decreased,the safety is better,and the explosion heat of the propellant is increased by 7.8%.The engine test shows that the specific impulse is increased by 1.2 s.Al@AP can improve the energy output and safety of NEPE propellant,and has potential application prospects in high-energy propellants.

Performance investigation of a low-power Hall thruster fed on iodine propellant

The common propellants used for electric thrusters, such as xenon and krypton, are rare, expensive,and difficult to acquire. Solid iodine attracts much attention with the advantages of low cost,extensive availability, low vapor pressure, and ionization potential. The performance of a lowpower iodine-fed Hall thruster matched with a xenon-fed cathode is investigated across a broad range of operation conditions. Regulation of the iodine vapor's mass flow rates is stably achieved by using a temperature control method of the iodine reservoir. The thrust measurements are finished utilizing a thrust target during the tests. Results show that thrust and anode-specific impulse increase approximately linearly with the increasing iodine mass flow rate.At the nominal power of 200 W class, iodine mass flow rates are 0.62 and 0.93 mg/s, thrusts are7.19 and 7.58 m N, anode specific impulses are 1184 and 826 s, anode efficiencies are 20.8%and 14.5%, and thrust to power ratios are 35.9 and 37.9 m N/k W under the conditions of 250 V,0.8 A and 200 V, 1.0 A, respectively. The operating characteristics of iodine-fed Hall thruster are analyzed in different states. Further work on the measurements of plasma characteristics and experimental optimization will be carried out.

Mussel-inspired PTW@PDA composites for developing high-energy gun propellants with reduced erosion and enhanced mechanical strength

The severe erosion and inadequate mechanical strength are prominent challenges for high-energy gun propellants.To address it,novel PTW@PDA composites was prepared by polydopamine(PDA)-modifying onto potassium titanate whisker(PTW,K_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13)),and after was incorporated into gun propellant as erosion-reducing and mechanical-reinforcing fillers.The interfacial characterizations results indicated that as-prepared PTW@PDA composites exhibits an enhanced surface compatible with propellant matrix,thereby facilitating their dispersion into propellants more effectively than raw PTW materials.Compared to original propellants,PTW@PDA-modified propellants exhibited significant less erosion,with a Ti-Kbased protective coating being detected on the eroded steel.And 0.5 wt%and 1.0 wt%addition of PTW@PDA significantly improved impact,compressive and tensile strength of propellants.Despite the inevitably reduction in relative force,PTW@PDA slightly increase propellant burning rate while exerting little adverse impact on propellant dynamic activity.This strategy can provide a promising alternative to develop high-energy gun propellant with less erosion and more mechanical strength.

Investigation of high rate mechanical flow followed by ignition for high-energy propellant under dynamic extrusion loading

Investigating the ignition response of nitrate ester plasticized polyether(NEPE) propellant under dynamic extrusion loading is of great significant at least for two cases. Firstly, it helps to understand the mechanism and conditions of unwanted ignition inside charged propellant under accident stimulus.Secondly, evaluates the risk of a shell crevice in a solid rocket motor(SRM) under a falling or overturning scene. In the present study, an innovative visual crevice extrusion experiment is designed using a dropweight apparatus. The dynamic responses of NEPE propellant during extrusion loading, including compaction and compression, rapid shear flow into the crevice, stress concentration, and ignition reaction, have been firstly observed using a high-performance high-speed camera. The ignition reaction is observed in the triangular region of the NEPE propellant sample above the crevice when the drop weight velocity was 1.90 m/s. Based on the user material subroutine interface UMAT provided by finite element software LS-DYNA, a viscoelastic-plastic model and dual ignition criterion related to plastic shear dissipation are developed and applied to the local ignition response analysis under crevice extrusion conditions. The stress concentration occurs in the crevice location of the propellant sample, the shear stress is relatively large, the effective plastic work is relatively large, and the ignition reaction is easy to occur. When the sample thickness decreases from 5 mm to 2.5 mm, the shear stress increases from 22.3 MPa to 28.6 MPa, the critical value of effective plastic work required for ignition is shortened from 1280 μs to 730 μs, and the triangular area is easily triggering an ignition reaction. The propellant sample with a small thickness is more likely to stress concentration, resulting in large shear stress and effective work, triggering an ignition reaction.

Synthesis of multifunctional additives for solid propellants:Structure,properties and mechanism

To simplify the composite propellant formulation and address the current issue of the single-functionality present in existing additives,the multi-cyano,amine-based polybutadiene(AEHTPB-CN)was prepared based on AEHTPB by adopting appropriate synthesis strategies.By replacing 10% of HTPB binder in the propellant formulation,it can effectively enhance the interfacial bond strength between the propellant binder matrix and solid fillers(AP(ammonium perchlorate)and RDX(cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine)),the mechanical properties of the HTPB/AP/RDX/Al propellant were superior to blank control propellant with an improvement of 35.4% in tensile strength,62.0% enhancement in elongation at break,and reduce the propellant burn rate by 10.7% with any energy loss.The function mechanism of AEHTPB-CN was systematically elucidated through experiments and computer simulation techniques.The results show that the tertiary amine group in AEHTPB-CN can react with AP to form ammonium ionic bonds,and the hydroxyl and cyano groups can form hydrogen bonding interactions with AP,which enables AEHTPB-CN to be firmly adsorbed on the AP surface through chemical and physical interactions.For RDX,the interfacial bonding effect of AEHTPB-CN is attributed to their ability to form C-H···N≡C weak hydrogen bonding interaction between the cyano group and RDX methylene group.

Investigations of the mechanical response of dummy HTPB propellant grain under ultrahigh acceleration overload conditions using onboard flight-test measurements

In this paper,to study the mechanical responses of a solid propellant subjected to ultrahigh acceleration overload during the gun-launch process,specifically designed projectile flight tests with an onboard measurement system were performed.Two projectiles containing dummy HTPB propellant grains were successfully recovered after the flight tests with an ultrahigh acceleration overload value of 8100 g.The onboard-measured time-resolved axial displacement,contact stress and overload values were successfully obtained and analysed.Uniaxial compression tests of the dummy HTPB propellant used in the gunlaunched tests were carried out at low and intermediate strain rates to characterize the propellant's dynamic properties.A linear viscoelastic constitutive model was employed and applied in finite-element simulations of the projectile-launching process.During the launch process,the dummy propellant grain exhibited large deformation due to the high acceleration overload,possibly leading to friction between the motor case and propellant grain.The calculated contact stress showed good agreement with the experimental results,though discrepancies in the overall displacement of the dummy propellant grain were observed.The dynamic mechanical response process of the dummy propellant grain was analysed in detail.The results can be used to estimate the structural integrity of the analysed dummy propellant grain during the gun-launch process.

A brand new green coating technology for realizing the regulation of spherical propellant energy release process

To achieve the controllable release of energy of nitrocellulose-based propellants,this paper combines the cellulose-based nanocomposites aqueous coating(Surelease®-NC)with fluidized bed coating equipment to successfully prepare the coated spherical propellant for the first time.The effects of fluidized bed coating temperature,air velocity,flow speed and atomization pressure on the adhesion rate,coating integrity and coating uniformity of the coated spherical propellant were investigated,and the preparation of coated spherical propellant with homogeneous size and structural integrity was achieved for the first time.The microscopic morphology,chemical structure,water vapor adsorption behavior,combustion performance,and ageing resistance property of the coated spherical propellant were systematically investigated by,Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),Micro confocal raman spectrometer,field scanning electron microscopy(SEM),dynamic vapor adsorption techniques,and closed bomb test,confirming the surface core-shell structure and the tightly bonded interfacial structure of coated spherical propellant.Meanwhile,the coated spherical propellant has good hygroscopic,excellent progressive burning and long storage stability.

Estimation of surface geometry on combustion characteristics of AP/HTPB propellant under rapid depressurization

The 2D sandwich model serves as a potent tool in exploring the influence of surface geometry on the combustion attributes of Ammonium perchlorate/Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(AP/HTPB)propellant under rapid pressure decay.The thickness of the sandwich propellant is derived from slicing the 3D random particle packing,an approach that enables a more effective examination of the micro-flame structure.Comparative analysis of the predicted burning characteristics has been performed with experimental studies.The findings demonstrate a reasonable agreement,thereby validating the precision and soundness of the model.Based on the typical rapid depressurization environment of solid rocket motor(initial combustion pressure is 3 MPa and the maximum depressurization rate is 1000 MPa/s).A-type(a flatter surface),B-type(AP recesses from the combustion surface),and C-type(AP protrudes from the combustion surface)propellant combustion processes are numerically simulated.Upon comparison of the evolution of gas-phase flame between 0.1 and 1 ms,it is discerned that the flame strength and form created by the three sandwich models differ significantly at the beginning stage of depressurization,with the flame structures gradually becoming harmonized over time.Conclusions are drawn by comparison extinction times:the surface geometry plays a pivotal role in the combustion process,with AP protrusion favoring combustion the most.

Properties of high cis-1,4 content hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene and its application in composite solid propellants

In this paper,high cis-1,4 content hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(cis-HTPB)with different molecular weights was prepared through the oxidative cracking process using cis-butadiene rubber as raw material.Firstly,this article comprehensively compared the differences between cis-HTPB and conventional I-HTPB in terms of molecular weight distribution,functionality,viscosity,molecular polarity,and other physicochemical properties,which provided effective data support for its subsequent application.In addition,the reaction kinetics study showed that cis-HTPB with isocyanate curing agent has high reactivity,allowing it to be rapidly cured at low temperatures,and the cured elastomers had excellent mechanical properties,with tensile strength and elongation up to 1.89 MPa and 1100%,respectively.It was also found that cis-HTPB has extremely excellent low-temperature resistance,and the glass transition temperature(T_(g))of its cured elastomer is as low as-101℃.Based on the above studies,cis-HTPB is applied as a binder in composite solid propellants for the first time to investigate its practical performance,and the results indicated that cis-HTPB-based propellants have excellent process and mechanical properties.

Construction of smart propellant with multi-morphologies

Smart materials,which exhibit shape memory behavior in response to external stimuli,have shown great potential for use in biomedical applications.In this study,an energetic composite was fabricated using a UV-assisted DIW 3D printing technique and a shape memory material(SMP)as the binder.This composite has the ability to reduce the impact of external factors and adjust gun propellant combustion behavior.The composition and 3D printing process were delineated,while the internal structure and shape memory performance of the composite material were studied.The energetic SMP composite exhibits an angle of reversal of 18 s at 70°,with a maximum elongation typically reaching up to 280% of the original length and a recovery length of approximately 105%during ten cycles.Additionally,thermal decomposition and combustion behavior were also demonstrated for the energetic SMP composite.

A new fluorocarbon adhesive:Inhibiting agglomeration during combustion of propellant via efficient F-Al_(2)O_(3) preignition reaction

Inhibiting the agglomeration of molten aluminum particles packed in the binder network is a promising scheme to achieve efficient combustion of solid propellants.In this investigation,the hydroxyl-terminated structured fluorinated alcohol compound(PFD)was introduced to modify the traditional polyethylene glycol/polytetrahydrofuran block copolymerization(HTPE)binder;that is,a unique fluorinated polyether(FTPE)binder was synthesized by embedding fluorinated organic segments into the HTPE binder via crosslinking curing.The FTPE was applied in aluminum-based propellants for the first time.Due to the complete release of fluorinated organic active segments in the range of 300℃to 400℃,the burning rate of FTPEbased propellant increased from 4.07(0%PFD)to 6.36 mm/s(5%PFD),increased by 56.27%under 1 MPa.The reaction heat of FTPE propellants increased from 5.95(0%PFD)to 7.18 MJ/kg(5%PFD)under 3.0 MPa,indicating that HTPE binder modified with PFD would be conducive to inhibiting the D90 of condensed combustion products(CCPs)dropped by 81.84%from 75.46(0%PFD)to 13.71μm(5%PFD)under 3.0 MPa,in consistent with the significant reduction of aluminum agglomerates observed on the quenched burning surface of the propellants.Those results demonstrated that a novel FTPE binder with PFD can release fluorinated organic active segments,which motivate preignition reaction with the alumina shell in the early stage of aluminum combustion,and then enhance the melting diffusion effect of aluminum to inhibit the agglomeration.

The effect of reactive plasticizer on viscoelastic and mechanical properties of solid rocket propellants based on different types of HTPB resin

Conventional plasticizers deteriorate mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the propellants due to their migration upon aging and long-term storage,which affects reliability and safety properties during exploitation.To address this issue,conventional plasticizer,dioctyl adipate(DOA),is replaced by reactive one,castor oil(CO).In addition,three different types of HTPB were used to obtain propellants with designed viscoelastic and mechanical properties.The CO increased propellants viscosity,without a significant impact on the propellant processability,regardless to the type of prepolymer.Conversely,mechanical properties were different depending on the type of resin,which were further analyzed by gel permeation chromatography(GPC).Addition of CO formed a denser polymer network and shifted T_(g) to higher values,compared to the compositions with DOA.The tensile strength of CO-containing propellants was lower at +20℃ and +50℃ compared to the reference compositions,while the strain at maximum load and strain at break were significantly increased with pronounced plastic deformation,especially for samples at -30℃.The inclusion of CO in the propellants composition gives more room for adjusting a wide range of mechanical properties.

Solvent transport dynamics and its effect on evolution of mechanical properties of nitrocellulose(NC)-based propellants under hot-air drying process

Appropriate drying process with optimized controlling of drying parameters plays a vital role in the improvement of the quality and performance of propellant products.However,few research on solvent transport dynamics within NC-based propellants was reported,and its effect on the evolution of mechanical properties was not interpreted yet.This study is conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of hot-air drying for NC-based propellants and clarify the effect of temperature on solvent transport behavior and further the change of mechanical properties during drying.The drying kinetic curves show the drying time required is decreased but the steady solvent content is increased and the drying rate is obviously increased with the increase of hot-air temperatures,indicating hot-air temperatures have a significant effect on drying kinetics.A modified drying model was established,and results show it is more appropriate to describe solvent transport behavior within NC-based propellants.Moreover,two linear equations were established to exhibit the relationship between solvent content and its effect on the change of tensile properties,and the decrease of residual solvent content causes an obvious increase of tensile strength and tensile modulus of propellant products,indicating its mechanical properties can be partly improved by adjustment of residual solvent content.The outcomes can be used to clarify solvent transport mechanisms and optimize drying process parameters of double-based gun propellants.

One-step green method to prepare progressive burning gun propellant through gradient denitration strategy

Gradiently denitrated gun propellant(GDGP)prepared by a“gradient denitration”strategy is obviously superior in progressive burning performance to the traditional deterred gun propellant.Currently,the preparation of GDGP employed a tedious two-step method involving organic solvents,which hinders the large-scale preparation of GDGP.In this paper,GDGP was successfully prepared via a novelty and environmentally friendly one-step method.The obtained samples were characterized by FT-IR,Raman,SEM and XPS.The results showed that the content of nitrate groups gradiently increased from the surface to the core in the surface layer of GDGP and the surface layer of GDGP exhibited a higher compaction than that of raw gun propellant,with a well-preserved nitrocellulose structure.The denitration process enabled the propellant surface with regressive energy density and good progressive burning performance,as confirmed by oxygen bomb and closed bomb test.At the same time,the effects of different solvents on the component loss of propellant were compared.The result showed that water caused the least component loss.Finally,the stability of GDGP was confirmed by methyl-violet test.This work not only provided environmentally friendly,simple and economic preparation of GDGP,but also confirmed the stability of GDGP prepared by this method.

Experimental study of Al agglomeration on solid propellant burning surface and condensed combustion products

Aluminum(Al) particles are commonly added to energetic materials including propellants,explosives and pyrotechnics to increase the overall energy density of the composite,but aluminum agglomeration on the combustion surface may lower the combustion efficiency of propellants,resulting in a loss in twophase flow.Therefore,it is necessary to understand the agglomeration mechanism of aluminum particles on the combustion surface.In this paper,a high-pressure sealed combustion chamber is constructed,and high-speed camera is used to capture the whole process of aluminum accumulation,aggregation and agglomeration on the combustion surface,and the secondary agglomeration process near the combustion surface.The microscopic morphology and chemical composition of the condensed combustion products(CCPs) are then studied by using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive(SEM-EDS) method.Results show that there are three main types of condensed combustion products:small smoke oxide particles oxidized by aluminum vapor,usually less than 1 μm;typical agglomerates formed by the combustion of aluminum agglomerates;carbonized agglomerates that are widely distributed,usually formed by irregular movements of aluminum agglomerates.The particle size of condensed combustion products is measured by laser particle size meter.As the pressure increases from 0.5 MPa to 1.0 MPa in nitrogen,the mass average particle size of aluminum agglomerates decreases by 49.7%.As the ambient gas is changed from 0.5 MPa nitrogen to 0.5 MPa air,the mass average particle size of aluminum agglomerates decreases by 67.3%.Results show that as the ambient pressure increases,the higher oxygen content can improve combustion efficiency and reduce the average agglomeration size of aluminum particles.

Molecular simulation study of the stabilization process of NEPE propellant

In this reported study, the density functional theory(DFT) was used at the(U)B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level to investigate the stabilization process of the nitrate ester plasticized polyether propellant(NEPE). Molecular simulations were conducted of the reaction that generates NO_(2), the autocatalytic and aging reaction triggered by the NO_(2), and the nitrogen dioxide absorption reaction of the stabilizers during the propellent stabilization process. These simulations were derived using the transition-state theory(TST)and variational transition-state theory(VTST). The simulation results suggested that the stabilization of the NEPE propellant consisted of three stages. First, heat and NO_(2) were generated during the denitrification reaction of nitroglycerine(NG) and 1,2,4-butanetriol trinitrate(BTTN) in the NEPE propellant.Second, nitroso products were generated by the reactions of N-Methyl-4-nitroaniline(MNA) and 2-nitrodiphenylamine(2NDPA) with NO_(2). Third, the stabilizers were exhausted and the autocatalytic reaction of NG and BTTN and the aging reaction of polyethylene glycol(PEG) were triggered by the heat and NO_(2)generated in the first stage. By comparing the energy barriers of the various reactions, it was found that the NO_(2)generated from the denitrification reaction significantly reduced the reaction energy barrier to 105.56-126.32 kJ/mol, also increased the reaction rate constant, and decreased the thermal stability and energetic properties of the NEPE propellant. In addition, the NO_(2)also weakened the mechanical properties of the NEPE propellant by attacking the-CH2groups and the O atoms in the PEG molecular chain. The energy barriers of the reactions of MNA and 2NDPA with NO_(2)(94.61-133.61 k J/mol) were lower than those of the autocatalytic and decomposition reactions of NG, BTTN, and the aging reactions of PEG(160.30-279.46 kJ/mol). This indicated that, by eliminating NO_(2), the stabilizer in the NEPE propellant can effectively prevent NO_(2)from reacting with the NG, BTTN, and PEG in the NEPE propellant. Consequently, this would help maintain the energy and mechanical properties of the NEPE propellant, thereby improving its thermal stability.

Modeling and simulation of solvent behavior and temperature distribution within long stick propellants with large web thickness undergoing drying

Drying is a complicated physical process which involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer in the removal of solvents inside propellants.Inappropriate drying techniques may result in the formation of a hard skin layer near the surface to block the free access of most solvent through for long stick propellants with large web thickness,which lead to lower drying efficiency and worse drying quality.This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of drying process and clarify the mechanism of the blocked layer near the propellant surface.A new three-dimensional coupled heat and mass transfer(3D-CHMT)model was successfully developed under transient conditions.The drying experiment results show that the 3DCHMT model could be applied to describe the drying process well since the relative error of the content of solvent between simulation and experiment values is only 5.5%.The solvent behavior simulation demonstrates that the mass transfer process can be divided into super-fast(SF)and subsequent minorfast(MF)stages,and the SF stage is vital to the prevention of the blocked layer against the free access for solvent molecules inside propellant grains.The effective solvent diffusion coefficient(Deff)of the propellant surface initially increases from 3.4×10^(-6)to 5.3×10^(-6)m^(2)/s as the temperature increases,and then decreases to 4.1×10^(-8)m^(2)/s at 60-100 min.The value of Deffof surface between 0-1.4 mm has a unique trend of change compared with other regions,and it is much lower than that of the internal at100 min under simulation conditions.Meanwhile,the temperature of the propellant surface increases rapidly at the SF stage(0-100 min)and then very slowly thereafter.Both the evolution of Deffand temperature distribution demonstrate that the blocked layer near the propellant surface has been formed in the time period of approximately 0-100 min and its thickness is about 1.4 mm.To mitigate the formation of blocked layer and improve its drying quality of finial propellant products effectively,it should be initially dried at lower drying temperature(30-40℃)in 0-100 min and then dried at higher drying temperature(50-60℃)to reduce drying time for later drying process in double base gun propellants.The present results can provide theoretical guidance for drying process and optimization of drying parameters for long stick propellants with large web thickness.