A study of the ignition process of composite solid propellants in a small rocket motor.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the ignition of composite solid propellants in a small rocket motor. Hot gaseous products from a small gas-fed pyrogentype igniter supplied a convective ignition stimulus to the internal surface of a thin-webbed, cylindrical solid propellant grain. The gas rocket igniter is a valuable tool for investigating the essential nature of the ignition process because it offers a wide range of controllable parameters such as heat transfer, chemical reactivity of the igniting gas, flame temperature, mass flow, chamber pressure and solid propellant composition. The results of this study are expected to contribute to an understanding of the overall propellant ignition process and, thus, to lead to the development of improved igniter design criteria.