Burning-Rate Characteristics of Composite Propellant Using Ammonium Perchlorate Modified by Ethylene Glycol

Ammonium perchlorate (AP)-based composite propellants are currently the most widely used. It has been necessary to manufacture AP composite propellants with higher burning rates. It has been reported that crystal-habit-modified AP is an effective oxidizer that increases the burning rates of propellants. The modified APs have a dendritic shape. However, dendritic AP is not convenient to mix and cast in an uncured AP-based propellant. An attempt has thus been made to prepare a crystal-habit-modified AP with sphere or cube form. The crystal habit of AP has been modified by ethylene glycol such that the intensity of the lattice plane (210) of the modified AP is remarkably high. The shape is almost cubic and the mean particle diameter is approximately 150 m. The thermal decomposition and ignition behaviors of the modified AP are superior to those of the standard AP. The cubical crystal habit AP prepared in this study is an effective oxidizer to obtain the high burning rate propellant.