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Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of composite solid propellants in the presence of amide burning rate suppressants

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Abstract

The employment of burning rate suppressants in the solid rocket propellant formulation is long known. Different research activities have been conducted to well understand the mechanism of suppression, but literature about the action of oxamide (OXA) and azodicarbonamide (ADA) on the thermal decomposition of composite propellant is still scarce. The focus of this study is on investigating the effect of burning rate suppressants on the thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of composite solid propellants. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential thermal analysis have been used to identify the changes in the thermal and kinetic behaviors of coolant-based propellants. Two main decomposition stages were observed. It was found that OXA played an inhibition effect on both stages, whereas the ADA acts as a catalyst in the first stage and as coolant in the second one. The activation energy dependent on the conversion rate was estimated by two model-free integral methods: Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) based on the TG data obtained at different heating rates. The mechanism of action of coolants on the decomposition of solid propellants was confirmed by the kinetic investigation as well.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Stefano Dossi, Dr. Marco Fassina and Mr. Giovani Colombo, SPLab, Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano for the preparation of some propellant samples and for the commissioning of the TG/DTA apparatus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UER Procédés Energétiques, Ecole Militaire Polytechnique, BP 17, 16111, Bordj-el-Bahri, Algiers, Algeria

    Djalal Trache

  2. SPLab, Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, 34 Via La Masa, 20158, Milan, Italy

    Filippo Maggi, Ilaria Palmucci & Luigi T. DeLuca

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  1. Djalal Trache
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  2. Filippo Maggi
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  3. Ilaria Palmucci
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  4. Luigi T. DeLuca
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Correspondence to Djalal Trache.

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Trache, D., Maggi, F., Palmucci, I. et al. Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of composite solid propellants in the presence of amide burning rate suppressants. J Therm Anal Calorim 132, 1601–1615 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7160-8

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