On the use of a closed vessel to determine the effect of novel ballistic modifiers on the burn rate of solid rocket propellants

Abstract. Lead-based ballistic modifiers are the industry standard for double-base propellants (DBPs), but their toxic nature poses significant environmental and health concerns. Upcoming legislation will restrict their use, necessitating the development of alternative solutions. In order to practically assess the effectiveness of any alternative ballistic modifier, capabilities to measure the burn-rate profile of propellants are required; this work investigates the use of the OZM TSV100 closed vessel to measure the burn rates of nitrocellulose-based propellant formulations by measuring the pressure changes during the combustion of the propellant sample. In order to accurately determine the burn-rate profiles, consistent grain geometries with uniform burn-surfaces are required and therefore this work also looks at optimising the formulation processes for preparing samples within a small-scale research lab. This process has created a setup where novel ballistic modifiers can be easily incorporated into the small propellant samples, facilitating an efficient, high-throughput method of assessing the effects of ballistic modifiers on double-base propellants.