Rheological, Ballistic, and Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed, Photocured Composite Propellants

This study explores the rheological, mechanical, and ballistic properties of printed ammonium perchlorate composite propellant at 82.5% solids loading with binders curable with ultraviolet light of wavelength from 215 to 400 nm (UV). A polybutadiene urethane acrylate and two polyester urethane acrylate propellants are printed by an in-house-fabricated fused deposition molding printer. Propellants are all shear-thinning and have significantly lower viscosity than similar hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellants. Uniaxial stress–strain measurements indicate that ultimate tensile strength and ultimate tensile strain of all photocurable propellants are found to be greater than HTPB propellant. In particular, the ultimate tensile strain of polyester urethane acrylate propellant is six times that of HTPB propellant, demonstrating high compliance. Ballistic properties are measured from combustion of printed propellant articles in a windowed Crawford combustion bomb at inert gas pressures of up to 12.1 MPa. The burning characteristics were found to be relatively planar, though strong burning rate anisotropy, expected as a result of print layer inhomogeneities, was observed in two of the three formulations. Overall, pressure exponents of the propellants were mild and ranged from 0.17 to 0.33. These results are compared and contrasted to those of other printed propellants. These results provide valuable insight into the selection of a safe binder system for printing of photocurable composite propellants.