Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Experimental results are presented for four nozzleless motors of different length-diameter (L/D) ratios using two different composite propellants. The experimental observations discussed are: the premature unchoking in motors of insufficient L/D ratios and the tendency for the propellant to extinguish under highly negative pressure gradient environment, both peculiar to nozzleless operation. A simple one- dimensional numerical scheme is presented to predict the performance of a nozzleless solid motor. Erosive burning, elastic grain deformation and L/D ratio-dependent combustion efficiency are considered in the scheme. A relatively simple procedure is followed to account for the coupling effect between port gas dynamics and elastic grain deformation. The experimental results are compared with those predicted by the numerical scheme. The predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental values. For a composite propellant the burning rate index n can significantly vary with respect to pressure. The application of this fact plays a very important role in accurately predicting the thrust-time trace of nozzleless motors.

Keywords

solid rocket motor nozzleless motor performance internal ballistics

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Procinsky

I. M.

McHale

C. A.

Nozzleless boosters for integral-rocket-ramjet missile systems. J. Spacecraft and Rockets, June 1981, 18, 193–199.

Albert

Nozzleless booster hardware demonstration progress to date. In 24th Joint Propulsion Conference, Boston, July 1988, AIAA paper 88–3366.

Procinsky

I. M.

Yezzi

C. A.

Nozzleless performance program. In 18th Joint Propulsion Conference, Cleveland, June 1982, AIAA paper 82–1198.

Glick

R. L.

On the performance of nozzleless rocket motors. In 19th Joint Propulsion Conference, Seattle June 1983, AIAA paper 83–1318.

Chase

C. A.

Solid booster propulsion for the late 1990s. In 22nd Joint Propulsion Conference, San Jose, June 1986, AIAA paper 86–1637.

Traineau

J.-C.

Kuentzmann

Some measurements of solid propellant burning rates in nozzleless motors. In 20th Joint Propulsion Conference, June 1984, Cincinnati, AIAA paper 84–1469.

Waesche

R. H.W.

O'Brien

W. F.

Evaluation of techniques for direct measurement of burning rates in nozzle-less motors. In 24th JANNAF Combustion Meeting, California 1987, Vol. 1, pp. 281–292.

Nahon

Nozzleless solid propellant rocket motors experimental and theoretical investigations. In 20th Joint Propulsion Conference, Cincinnati, June 1984, AIAA paper 84–1312.

Gany

Aharon

Internal ballistics considerations of nozzleless rocket motors. In 31st Joint Propulsion Conference, San Diego, July 1995, AIAA paper 95–2735.

10.

Anon.

NASA space vehicle design criteria, solid rocket motor performance analysis and prediction. NASA-SP-6039, May 1971.

11.

Kelly

F. N.

Solid propellant mechanical properties, testing, failure criteria, and aging. In Propellants Manufacture, Hazards, and Testing (Eds Boyars

Klager

), Advances in Chemistry Series 88, 1969, pp. 188–243 (American Chemical Society).

12.

Lenoir

J. M.

Robillard

A mathematical method to predict the effects of erosive burning in solid propellant rockets. In Sixth International Symposium on Combustion, 1957, pp. 663–667 (The Combustion Institute, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania).

13.

Draskovic

Jojic

Balagojevic

Adzic

The practical method of determining erosive burning rate of solid rocket propellant. In 29th International Astronautical Conference Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, October 1978, IAF-78–227.

14.

Miller

W. H.

Barrington

D. K.

A review of contemporary solid rocket motor performance prediction techniques. J. Spacecraft and Rockets, June 1970, 7, 225–236.

15.

Srinath

L. S.

Advanced Mechanics of Solids, 1980 pp. 264–299 (Tata-McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi).

16.

Anon.

Solid propellant rocket motor internal ballistics program, Vol. I. The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, D2–125286-1 1967.

17.

Shapiro

A. H.

The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, Vol. 1, 1954, pp. 219–262 (The Ronald Press Company, New York).

18.

Zucrow

M. J.

Hoffman

J. D.

Gas Dynamics, Vol. 1, 1976, pp. 461–510 (John Wiley, New York).

19.

Gordan

McBride

B. J.

Computer program for calculations of complex chemical equilibrium compositions, rocket performance, incident and reflected shocks, and Chapman-Jouguet detonations. NASA SP-273, February 1971.

20.

Ramohalli

K. N. R.

Steady-state burning of composite solid propellant under zero cross-flow situation. In Fundamentals of Solid Propellant Combustion (Eds Kuo

K. K.

Summerfield

), Vol. 90, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1984, pp. 409–477 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, New York).

21.

King

M. K.

Erosive burning of composite solid propellant: Experimental and modelling studies. J. Spacecraft and Rockets, May-June 1979, 16, 154–162.

22.

King

M. K.

Erosive burning of solid propellants. J. Propulsion and Power, November-December 1993, 9, 785–805.

Effect of motor length and propellant formulation on nozzleless solid rocket performance

Abstract

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References