Migration of Plasticizer between Bonded Propellant Interfaces

Plasticizer migration across bonded propellant interfaces during cure has been shown to have a measurable effect on propellant properties compared to each propellant by itself. This shows that the curing period is significant to the migration phenomenon. The plasticizer migration has been shown to have a direct influence on tensile strength for short aging periods up to the point the plasticizer reaches equilibrium. The tensile data for short aging periods have been shown to follow an empirical equation connecting the physical characteristics of plasticizer migration with increasing propellant tensile strength. The diffusion coefficient has been evaluated on the basis of this relation from a plot of σᵐₜ versus t1/2 and was in good agreement with the diffusion coefficient from the plasticizer content data.