A Study on the Integrated Burning Rate Prediction Method for Wire-Embedded Propellants

To address the time-consuming and labor-intensive procedures associated with traditional approaches for evaluating the integrated burning rate of wire-embedded propellants in solid rocket motors (SRMs), this study proposes an efficient and reliable prediction method. This new method is based on an improved burning-rate–initial-temperature correlation, achieved through Abaqus-Python secondary development that enables fully automated geometric modeling, transient heat-transfer analysis, and temperature-field extraction for wire-embedded propellants. The relative error between the present method and the experimental results is less than 5%. The accuracy and engineering applicability of the present method are verified. The effects of the material parameters and wire diameters on the integrated burning rate is investigated. The results indicate that wires of different materials exhibit substantial variations in burning-rate enhancement efficiency, with smaller diameters and higher thermal diffusivity producing stronger enhancement effects. When the specific heat capacity and density are held constant, the integrated burning rate increases monotonically with the wire’s thermal conductivity, though the growth trend gradually approaches saturation. In contrast, the influences of the wire’s specific heat capacity and density are comparatively weak. The integrated burning rate prediction framework developed in this study demonstrates strong versatility and scalability. It enables rapid performance evaluation of propellants embedded with wires of various sizes and thermophysical properties, providing valuable theoretical guidance and practical tools for the design and optimization of wire-embedded solid rocket motors.