The properties of Sn-Zn-Al-La fusible alloy for mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors

The Al and La elements are added to the Sn9Zn alloy to obtain the fusible alloy for the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors. Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), metallographic analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), tensile testing and fracture analysis were used to study the effect of Al and La elements on the microstructure, melting characteristics, and mechanical properties of the Sn9Zn alloy. Whether the fusible diaphragm can effectively relieve pressure was investigated by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test. Experimental results show that the melting point of the Sn9Zn-0.8Al0·2La and Sn9Zn-3Al0·2La fusible alloys can meet the predetermined working temperature of ventilation. The mechanical properties of those are more than 35% higher than that of the Sn9Zn alloy at-50°C-70°C, and the mechanical strength is reduced by 80% at 175°C. It is proven by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test that the fusible diaphragm can relieve pressure effectively and can be used for the design of the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors.

Experimental Investigation on Basic Prototype of Solid Propellant Impulsive Microthrusters

A new type of impulsive microthruster and its measurement system were designed for the aim of testing the performance of a basic prototype of solid propellant impulsive microthruster. Two sets of tests were conducted. The tests show that the ignitor and the main charge of the microthruster match well, the dynamic and static capability of the test and measurement meets the test requirement and the result is creditable. The measured technical characteristics of the microthruster are that the ignition delay time is shorter than 0 3?ms, the total impulse is over 3?N·s, the operational time is shorter than 16?ms and the mass ratio of the thruster is 0 216.

IR radiation characteristics of rocket exhaust plumes under varying motor operating conditions

The infrared（IR） irradiance signature from rocket motor exhaust plumes is closely related to motor type,propellant composition,burn time,rocket geometry,chamber parameters and flight conditions.In this paper,an infrared signature analysis tool（IRSAT） was developed to understand the spectral characteristics of exhaust plumes in detail.Through a finite volume technique,flow field properties were obtained through the solution of axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations with the Reynolds-averaged approach.A refined 13-species,30-reaction chemistry scheme was used for combustion effects and a k-e-Rtturbulence model for entrainment effects.Using flowfield properties as input data,the spectrum was integrated with a line of sight（LOS） method based on a single line group（SLG） model with Curtis-Godson approximation.The model correctly predicted spectral distribution in the wavelengths of 1.50–5.50 lm and had good agreement for its location with imaging spectrometer data.The IRSAT was then applied to discuss the effects of three operating conditions on IR signatures：（a） afterburning;（b） chamber pressure from ignition to cutoff;and（c） minor changes in the ratio of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene（HTPB） binder to ammonium perchlorate（AP） oxidizer in propellant.Results show that afterburning effects can increase the size and shape of radiance images with enhancement of radiation intensity up to 40%.Also,the total IR irradiance in different bands can be characterized by a non-dimensional chamber pressure trace in which the maximum discrepancy is less than 13% during ignition and engine cutoff.An increase of chamber pressure can lead to more distinct diamonds,whose distance intervals are extended,and the position of the first diamond moving backwards.In addition,an increase in HTPB/AP causes a significant jump in spectral intensity.The incremental rates of radiance intensity integrated in each band are linear with the increase of HTPB,and the growth rates of radiance intensities in some bands reach up to 50% as HTPB weight increases by 3%.