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Iron Nanoparticle Additives as Burning Rate Enhancers in AP/HTPB Composite Propellants
Author(s) -
Styborski Jeremy A.,
Scorza Matthew J.,
Smith Melissa N.,
Oehlschlaeger Matthew A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.201400078
Subject(s) - ammonium perchlorate , propellant , nanoparticle , materials science , polybutadiene , composite number , thermal decomposition , volume (thermodynamics) , chemical engineering , hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , copolymer , polymer
Burning rate measurements were carried out for ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) composite propellants with iron (Fe) nanoparticles as additives. Experiments were performed in a strand burner at pressures from 0.2 to 10 MPa for propellants containing approximately 80 % AP and Fe nanoparticles (60–80 nm) at concentration from 0 to 3 % by weight. It was found that the addition of 1 % Fe nanoparticles increased burning rate by factors of 1.2–1.6. Because Fe nanoparticles are oxidized on the surface and have high surface‐to‐volume ratio, they provide a large surface area of Fe 2 O 3 for AP thermal decomposition catalysis at the burning propellant surface, while also providing added energy release due to the oxidation of nanoparticle sub‐shell Fe. The increase in burning rate due to Fe nanoparticle content is similar to the increase in burning rate caused by the addition of iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) particles observed in prior literature.