Erosivity and Performance of Nitrogen‐Rich Propellants

Abstract Five propellant formulations were test fired both in a vented vessel and a closed vessel. Two formulations contained 35 % weight of nitrogen‐rich materials. The erosion by weight of the propellants ranged from 0.53 g to 1.31 g after two consecutive test firings of a given propellant. The addition of nitrogen‐rich materials resulted in reduced erosion. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy revealed nitrogen in the erosion pieces for one of the reference propellants (SB) and the two nitrogen‐rich propellants. The two hottest propellants cause melting of the erosion pieces. The presence of nitrogen‐rich materials has a tremendous impact on the burning rates with the burning rate increase at 100 MPa reaching up to 2.4 times that of the formulation used as the base for the nitrogen‐rich propellants.