Effect of ammonium oxalate/strontium carbonate on the burning rate characteristics of composite propellants

Abstract

AP/HTPB based composite propellants with additives such as ammonium oxalate (AO), mixture of ammonium oxalate and strontium carbonate (SC) was investigated by burning rate, TG-DTG and FTIR experiments. The results show that the burning rates of these propellants are decreased significantly. TG-DTG experiments indicate that decomposition temperatures of AP with these additives are increased. Furthermore, the activation energy of the decomposition reaction of AP is also increased in the presence of AO or AO/SC. These results show that AO or AO/SC restrains the decomposition of AP. The burning rates of these propellants are decreased. The burning rate temperature sensitivity of AP/HTPB based propellants is reduced significantly by the addition of AO or AO/SC. But the effect of AO is less than that of AO/SC. AO/SC is better effect to reduce temperature sensitivity and at the same time, to reduce pressure exponent. The reduced heat release at the burning surface of AP/HTPB/AO is responsible for the reduced temperature sensitivity. Synergetic action is probably produced between AO and SC within AP/HTPB based propellants in the pressure range tested. This synergetic effect causes the heat release to reduce and the burning surface temperature to increase. Moreover, it makes the net exothermal reaction of condensed phase become little dependent on T ₀. Thus, the burning rate temperature sensitivity is reduced.