Cinematographic study of AP/PBAA sandwich burners in a positive acceleration field

Abstract

Ammonium perchlorate/polybiitadiene-acrylic acid (AP/PBAA) sandwich burners were burned in a combustion bomb. These were formed by bonding two polycrystalline AP wafers together with PBAA. Pressures were varied from 200 to SOO psig. Acceleration was either standard gravity or +100 g, i.e., 100 g directed normal and into the burning surface. Sandwich burns were recorded using high speed color motion pictures. It was found that binder/AP interactions cause transient burning rates which are sensitive to acceleration. For pressures below the lower deflagration limit (P(^-| ) of AP, the acceleration-induced flow of the binder onto the AP both inhibited AP decomposition and decreased the average burning rate. Sometimes the average burning rate remained unchanged from the base burning rate. For pressures above Pdl, acceleration-induced binder flow appears to affect the burning rate by mixing of the binder melt with the "active" AP.