Burn-rate Measurement on Small-scale Rocket Motors

F. Maggi; L.T. DeLuca; A. Bandera; V.S. Subith; A. Annovazzi

doi:10.14429/dsj.56.1899

F. Maggi Space Propulsion Laboratory, Italy
L.T. DeLuca Space Propulsion Laboratory, Italy
A. Bandera Space Propulsion Laboratory, Italy
V.S. Subith Stanford University, USA
A. Annovazzi Avio - Comprensorio BPD 00034 Colleferro, Rm, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.56.1899

Keywords: Burn-rate measurement, rocket motors, small-scale rocket motors, data reduction, ballistic behaviour, ballistics

Abstract

Small-scale rocket motors are widely used by propulsion industries to carry out burn rate
measurement for a variety of needs. Several automated data-reduction procedures have been
implemented to derive burn rate from pressure-time profiles resulting from experimentation. Even
if these are easy and fast to use, these procedures are not completely reliable in that these
measure only the average behaviour of a motor. A new model has recently been proposed to
overcome this problem. However, it was soon noticed that the results depend on the propellant
grain production and forming processes even if the motor hardware is the same. A series of
propellant grains has been produced to be sampled to map the local ballistic behaviour and
changes introduced by the manufacturing process. In this study, sampling and testing procedures
are reported and the results of an almost complete grain mapping are discussed.