Nitramine Solid Rocket Propellants with Reduced Signature

Solid rocket propellants containing nitramine are considerably superior to doublebase propellants, both as regards their performance and mechanical properties. The pressure exponent of non-modified nitramine propellants is n ≥ 0.9. The possibility of changing the burning rate or, respectively, the pressure exponent has, however, only been realisable to a restricted extent up till now in propellants with an increased nitramine content. In the following propellant system containing nitramine, the effects of ammonium perchlorate on burning behaviour are studied:

• ammonium perchlorate (AP)
• hexogen (RDX)
• nitroglycerin (NG), or trimethylolethane trinitrate (TMETN)
• polyurethane binder (PU)

AP concentrations already as great as 10% produce considerable changes in the burning behaviour of the propellants described above. It is possible to reduce the pressure exponent by the addition of ammonium perchlorate from n ≥ 0.9 to n ≤ 0.65. The burning rates may also be influenced with AP concentrations ≤ 20% and by varying the AP particle size by the factor of 2. All the propellants prepared were easily castable and showed exceptionally good viscoelastic properties (strain at break ε_R > 200%) in the temperature range between −40 °C to + 50 °C. The thermal chemical stability is not influenced negatively in any way by the combination of nitric acid esters and ammonium perchlorate.