Viscoelastic Characterization of Different Solid Rocket Propellants Using the Maxwell Spring-Dashpot Model

A single spring and a single dashpot in series was utilized to simulate the stress-strain curve for different classes of solid rocket propellants, namely extruded double base propellants (EDBP) and composite propellants (CP), in the uniaxial tensile mode in a constant rate of travel machine. The propellant behaves as a viscoelastic material and invariably exhibits stress relaxation, which cannot be simulated by elastic mechanical property parameters. In order to generate a complete stress-strain curve of a solid rocket propellant under tensile testing, different classes of solid rocket propellants were evaluated and the stress-strain curve generated was modelled using the single spring-single dashpot Maxwell fluid model. Using two constants, called the spring constant (K) and the damping factor (D), it was possible to generate a complete stress-strain curve. Mathematical formulation gives the stress (σ) - strain (ε) relation as….[wzór]. Additionally the physical nature of the spring constant resembles that of the elastic constant and the damping coefficient gives the contribution of the viscous part of the load bearing capacity of solid rocket propellants. The development of a general mathematical formulation, the calculation of constants for different classes of propellants and insight into the viscoelastic nature of propellants are the main themes of this article. For all classes of propellants, two ratios are defined. The first is a dimensionless parameter 'H', which is the ratio of the spring constant to the initial elastic modulus. The second is the ratio of the damping coefficient to the spring constant depicted by parameter 'S'. The spring constant is higher than the initial elastic modulus and the value of 'H' is always higher than 1. For brittle propellants (extruded double base propellants, EDBPs, with a high elastic modulus), the spring constant is numerically very close to the spring constant (H is around 1.75). As the ductility (percentage elongation) of the solid rocket propellants increases (from cartridge loaded composite propellants, CLCPs, to case-bonded composite propellants, CBCPs), the value of parameter 'H' also increases (H ~ 10 for CP). For EDBPs the parameter 'S' is smaller (~ 1.24), but for CLCPs and CBCPs, it is high (S ~ 5 to 8). Both of these ratios are basic properties of the polymeric matrix. The first ratio depicts the departure of the actual stress-strain curve from linearity, while the second ratio is another way of expressing the relaxation time. A higher 'H' indicates a softer and more ductile propellant, while a higher 'S' indicates a shorter relaxation time for the propellant. A lower 'S' indicates that the propellant recovers faster on removal of strain.