Back to Search
Start Over
Low-Thrust Solid Rocket Motors for Small, Fast Aircraft Propulsion: Design and Development
- Source :
- Matthew T. Vernacchia
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), 2022.
-
Abstract
- Small, low-thrust, long-burn-time solid propellant rocket motors could provide propulsion for a new class of kilogram-scale, transonic, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). This paper investigates technological challenges of small, low-thrust solid rocket motors: slow-burn solid propellants, motors that have low thrust relative to their size (and thus have low chamber pressure), thermal protection for the motor case, and small nozzles that can withstand long burn times. Slow-burn propellants were developed using ammonium perchlorate and 0–20% oxamide (burn-rate suppressant), with burn rates of 1–4 mm⋅s−1 at 1 MPa. Using these propellants, a low-thrust motor successfully operated at a thrust/burn area ratio 10 times less than that of typical solid rocket motors. This kilogram-scale motor can provide 5–10 N of thrust for 1–3 min. An ablative thermal protection liner was tested in these firings, and a new ceramic-insulated nozzle was demonstrated. This paper shows that small, low-thrust solid motors are feasible and presents a baseline design for the integration of such a motor into a small UAV.<br />Department of Defense (DoD)<br />MIT Lincoln Laboratories, BAE Systems, Inc.
- Subjects :
- Propellant
business.product_category
business.industry
Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
Thrust
Propulsion
Chamber pressure
Fuel Technology
Propellant mass fraction
Rocket
Space and Planetary Science
Space Shuttle thermal protection system
Environmental science
Aerospace engineering
Solid-fuel rocket
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15333876
- Volume :
- 38
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Propulsion and Power
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....10f7abf4d6c70d8b850acede28e8cd02