Research Summaries

Back Modular Prepolymer Systems for Tunable Solid Rocket Motor Binders

Fiscal Year 2020
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Physics
Investigator(s) Mason, Brian P.
Sponsor Office of Naval Research (Navy)
Summary Rheology and the Payne Effect in polyoxide blends are compared against the standard DoD binder material, hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene. The blend components are two molecular weights each of polytetramethylene oxide and polyethylene oxide. Combining these materials offers a large variation in viscosities and shear rate dependences. Moreover, incorporating reinforcing nanoparticles selectively into either component can alter the reinforcement; that is, it can impose a controlled distribution of particles to exploit the non-linear dependence of properties (e.g., percolation threshold, strain amplification at filler interface, crack deviation) on filler concentration. Thus, these materials exhibit tunable properties that might not be achievable in a conventional binder material.
Keywords Plastic bonded explosive Polymer Propellants Solid rocket motor
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal