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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Coupling of RANS and BEM Solvers for Simulation of Propeller Behind the Hull in Full Appended Model

To design a propeller for ship power plant,the interaction between ship hull and propeller must be taken into account.The main concern is to apply the wake effect of ship stern on the propeller performance.In this paper,a coupled BEM(Boundary Element Method)/RANS(Renolds-Averaged Navier−Stokes)solver is used to simulate propeller behind the hull in the self-propulsion test.The motivation of this work is to develop a practical tool to design marine propulsion system without suffering long computational time.An unsteady boundary element method which is also known as panel method is chosen to estimate the propeller forces.Propeller wakes are treated using a time marching wake alignment method.Also,a RANS code coupled with VoF equation is developed to consider the ship motions and wake field effects in the problem.A coupling algorithm is developed to interchange ship wake field to the potential flow solver and propeller thrust to the RANS code.Based on the difference between hull resistance and the propeller thrust,a PI controller is developed to compute the propeller RPM in every time step.Verification of the solver is carried out using the towing tank test report of a 50 m oceanography research vessel.Wake factor and trust deduction coefficient are estimated numerically.Also,the wake rollup pattern of the propeller in open water is compared with the propeller in real wake field.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Where is the rudder of a fish?:the mechanism of swimming and control of self-propelled fish school

Numerical simulation and control of self- propelled swimming of two- and three-dimensional biomimetic fish school in a viscous flow are investigated. With a parallel computational fluid dynamics package for the two- and three-dimensional moving boundary problem, which combines the adaptive multi-grid finite volume method and the methods of immersed boundary and volume of fluid, it is found that due to the interactions of vortices in the wakes, without proper control, a fish school swim with a given flap- ping rule can not keep the fixed shape of a queue. In order to understand the secret of fish swimming, a new feedback con- trol strategy of fish motion is proposed for the first time, i,e., the locomotion speed is adjusted by the flapping frequency of the caudal, and the direction of swimming is controlled by the swinging of the head of a fish. Results show that with this feedback control strategy, a fish school can keep the good order of a queue in cruising, turning or swimming around circles. This new control strategy, which separates the speed control and direction control, is important in the construction of biomimetic robot fish, with which it greatly simplifies the control devices of a biomimetic robot fish.

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.

An Operational Modal Analysis Experimental Technique for Self-propelled Gun

The experimental modal analysis of the selected self-propelled gun was completed to obtain its modal frequency distribution and modes by using an operational modal analysis experimental technique.The result obtained by the method was compared with that obtained by the traditional method.It indicates that the two results are in good agreement.

Comparison of Microbubble and Air Layer Injection with Porous Media for Drag Reduction on a Self-propelled Barge Ship Model

Ship resistance issues are related to fuel economy,speed,and cost efficiency.Air lubrication is a promising technique for lowering hull frictional resistance as it is supposed to modify the energy in the turbulent boundary layer and thereby reduce hull friction.In this paper,the objective is to identify the optimum type of air lubrication using microbubble drag reduction(MBDR)and air layer drag reduction(ALDR)techniques to reduce the resistance of a 56-m Indonesian self-propelled barge(SPB).A model with the following dimensions was constructed:length L=2000 mm,breadth B=521.60 mm,and draft T=52.50 mm.The ship model was towed using standard towing tank experimental parameters.The speed was varied over the Froude number range 0.11–0.31.The air layer flow rate was varied at 80,85,and 90 standard liters per minute(SLPM)and the microbubble injection coefficient over the range 0.20–0.60.The results show that the ship model using the air layer had the highest drag reduction up to a maximum of 90%.Based on the characteristics of the SPB,which operates at low speed,the optimum air lubrication type to reduce resistance in this instance is ALDR.