Validation of relations for the determination of pyrotechnic igniter mass

Abstract

Abstract Propellant ignition is an essential process in solid rocket motor operation as it is responsible of starting the combustion and to reliably self-sustain burning of the solid propellant. Despite the importance of igniter design and ignition process, the relations dealing with igniter mass determination are not well studied and not validated against actual motors with a systematic variation of parameters. The main objective of the current research is to validate the available equations in open literature for determination of the mass of igniter pyrotechnic charge. Data from seven real solid propellant rocket motors were used to validate the relations. These motors have different sizes, grain geometries and pyrotechnic compositions. The results show that the equation of Brayan–Lawerene has the smallest root mean square error (RMSE), and so, it is considered more convenient.