Affiliation:
1. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering 801 Leroy Place Socorro NM 87801 United States
2. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Department of Materials Engineering 801 Leroy Place Socorro NM 87801 United States
Abstract
AbstractSeven formulations of ammonium perchlorate composite propellant (APCP) are developed and their properties relevant for successful additive manufacture are characterized. Extrusion in a custom‐built 3D printing system and spindle viscometry are used to collect viscosity measurements of curing primary and non‐curing secondary versions of the formulations. The formulations that behave similarly to a Bingham plastic, with apparent viscosities between 4 and 8 thousand Pa*s at 30 minutes post‐mix, are determined to be most suitable for printing applications. Measurements of one material show a yield stress of 1 kPa. Ambient pressure burn rates of 2.0–2.9 mm/s were measured for the compositions tested. All measured burn rates were comparable to the lower end of typical burn rates for APCP. The results of the characterization demonstrate a propellant suitable for use in a 3D printing system.
Subject
General Chemical Engineering,General Chemistry