Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, Vol. 34, No.

1, 1998

Erosive Burning of a Solid Propellant in a S u p e r s o n i c Flow

v . A. Arkhipov I and D. A. Zimin I UDC 536.46

Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 61-64, January-Februaxy, 1998.
Original article submitted November 21, 1996.

We p r e s e n t r e s u l t s of a n e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d y of b u r n i n g o f a ballistite solid p r o p e l l a n t
( g u n p o w d e r H) in a s u p e r s o n i c flow. It is s h o w n t h a t t h e criterial d e p e n d e n c e o f t h e
erosion coefficient on t h e V i l y u n o v p a r a m e t e r o b t a i n e d on t h e basis o f e x p e r i m e n t a l
r e s u l t s in a subsonic a n d a supersonic flow describes satisfactorily e x p e r i m e n t a l d a t a
for a s u p e r s o n i c flow in t h e e x a m i n e d r a n g e of M a c h n u m b e r s M = 1-2.8 as well.
A m o r e c o r r e c t a p p r o x i m a t i o n f o r m u l a for t h e r a n g e o f p a r a m e t e r s c o n s i d e r e d is
derived. T h e specific f e a t u r e s of t h e flow along t h e surface o f a solid p r o p e l l a n t at
M > 1 is analyzed~ a n d this analysis has r e v e a l e d some p r o b l e m s in t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n
of experimental data.

Erosive burning of solid propellants has been
the subject of intense experimental and theoretical
studies since the discovery of this phenomenon by
O. I. Leipunskii in 1942 [1]. Rasdan and Kuo made a
thorough analysis of the relevant studies in [2]. How-
ever, a few publications [3-5] gave results of solid-
propellant erosive burning under the conditions of a
sonic and a supersonic flow. At the same time, new
applied problems, in particular the development of
nozzleless rocket engines, require knowledge of the
specific features of erosive burning at flow veloci-
ties exceeding the sound velocity. In this paper, we
present results of an experimental study of a ballis-
rite solid propellant (gun powder H) in a supersonic
flow in the range of Mach numbers M - 1-2.8.
The experiments were performed on a device de-
picted schematically in Fig. 1. The device includes
a gas-producing chamber of diameter 53 mm and a
measuring unit. In the gas-producing chamber there
is an annular-channel sample of a solid propellant
whose side surface is armored, thus providing a con-
stant burning surface. The critical cross section of
the nozzle is a 4 x 14 mm rectangle. The measuring
unit is a channel formed by incombustible replace-
able inserts and a sample of solid propellant of width
10 mm, height 20 ram, and length 110 mm, which is
glued into a special holder with an epoxy compound.
The gas generator was put into operation by
means of an igniter. After the gas generator reached
1Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics at the
Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050.
a stationary regime in 0.6-0.7 sec, charge quench-
ing was performed by the liquid coming from the
hydrogenerator with the pyrodriver. In experiments
with LKh-412-type strain gauges, the pressure p0
was measured in the combustion chamber and at
two points of the measuring unit (at a distance of
z = 25 and 90 ram). After quenching, the thickness
Ae of the burnt arc of the sample was measured by
a slide gage. The error of pressure measurement was
2%, and the error in Ae measurement was from 5 to
10% (0.2 mm). The relatively large error in the de-
termination of the thickness of the burnt arc is asso-
ciated with the fact that after quenching, the sample
surface is rippled, which is characteristic of erosive
burning [3, 5]. The values of the mean pressure in the
gas generator (P0) and the combustion time (tcomb)
and the geometry of the replaceable insets are given
in Table 1.
Fig. 1. Layout of the experimental device: 1) igniter;
2) gas-producingchamber; 3) liquid inlet; 4) measuringunit;
5) strain gauges; 6) insert; 7) tubular-channel sample of a
solid propellant; 8) nozzle; 9) solid-propellantsample to be
ex~nined.

0010-5082/98/3401-0055 $20.00 (~) 1998 Plenum Publishing Corporation 55

56
TABLE 1
THal
number P0, M P a tcomb, sec Geometry of inserts
1 6.35 0.84
0<z<
6.74 0.84
7.18 0.84 z < 32 ram, a = 1 0 %
7.46 0.84 z > 32 mr., a = 0
7.14 0.86 z<6mm;
7.24 0.88 z > 6 mm,
For the composition considered, we performed
a series of experiments on the determination of a
stationary combustion law. Based on the results, we
found, with accuracy of 4%, the dependence
/ p ,, 0.82
4o o37( o-r-
= ) mmlsec,
p = (3-40). 105 Pa.
The determination of the erosive combustion char-
acteristics was based on finding the real combus-
tion rate with the use of the measured values of the
thickness of the burnt arc [u(z) -- Ae(z)/~comb] and
the calculation of the erosion coefficient e = u/uo.
The dependence u0(z) was determined from (1) with
the use of the calculated pressure distribution in the
measuring unit (channel).
In considering the gas flow in the channel with
allowance for an increase in the mass, we adopted
the following assumptions:
(1) the flow is unidimensional, adiabatic, and
nonisentropic;
(2) ignition and unsteady-state combustion are
ignored;
(3) the flow parameters are assumed to be con-
stant in time, despite charge burning in the channel.
In this case, the time-averaged pressure p, the
flow velocity v, and the density p are determined
from the system
d d
d-"z(pvA) -- ppbcombU, (pA + pv2A) = p "~z'
7 Pv2 -- %T0,
.y_
where bcomb is the width of the burning surface, pp
is the propellant density, 7 is the adiabatic exponent
of the combustion products, To is the deceleration
temperature in the gas generator, and A is the com-
bustion time-averaged open cross-sectional area. The
boundary conditions are specified by the parameters
in the critical cross section of the nozzle.
In the experiments, the pressure remained al-
most constant in the chamber of the gas generator,
and it decreased by 1.5-2.5 times in the channel be-
A r k h i p o v a n d Zimin
llO, e = l O ~
o~=10 ~
a=0
Fig. 2. Configuration of the channel after quenching: the
figures refer to the n u m b e r of the corresponding experi-
ments from Table 1.
cause of its intensification, depending on the geom-
etry of the insert. The channel's configuration after
quenching is shown in Fig. 2. The surface of the ex-
(i) amined sample is rippled (the height of the ripples
is up to 0.1 ram). One can see the section of in-
tense burn-up at the entrance of the channel, and the
maximum carrying away is 20-25 mm away from the
critical cross section. A decrease in the time of flow
action leads to a displacement of the position of the
maximum toward the leading section of the channel.
Figure 3 presents the values of the erosion coefficient
and the flow parameters, which were calculated ac-
cording to the above technique. In addition, Fig. 3
indicates the averaged pressure values measured in
the channel, which are different from the calculated
values by 5-10% (except for the cross section x = 2.5
cm in trial Nos. 5 and 6).
The anomalous behavior of the erosion coeffi-
cient for z < 40-45 mm can be explained by the
formation of a subsonic flow in the leading section of
the channel near the combustion surface, where the
high combustion rate is caused by the high pressure
values rather than a supersonic flow. In this region,
a calculation of the stationary combustion rate u0
entering into the coefficient cannot rely on the pres-
sure values calculated within the framework of the
dA adopted assumptions. In addition, the flow nonuni-
formity, the high degree of flow turbulization, and a
(2) significant variation of the flow-around conditions at
the entrance of the channel can exert a strong effect
on the real combustion rate. In view of this, the di-
mensions (up to 40% of the sample being examined)
and integral contribution of this region to the sub-
sequent flow were estimated, and the determined c
values were excluded from consideration.
Figure 4 shows results of the processing of ex-
perimental data with the use of the Vilyunov param-
eter [3, 6] J = pv'~/ppuo. The use of the Blasius
formula A -- 0.3161~ -~ for the drag coefficient
yields a qualitative coincidence with the results of
E r o s i v e B u r n i n g o f a S o l i d P r o p e l l a n t in a S u p e r s o n i c F l o w 57

lz, km/sec p , MPa

- - m 1
3 3.6
e3 1.8
"5
6 1.6 2.8

, -7_:;:::-" 2.0
1.4
4
1.2
1.2
2 0.4
f 1.0
i l i I 1 I i I i I , 1 i I i I , I i l

0 2 4 6 8 x, crn 0 2 4 6 8 x, cm

Fig. 3. Erosion coefficient(a) and flow parameters in the channd (b):the figuresreferto the numbers of the corresponding
experiments in Table 1 and the points refer to the average values of the measured pressure.

[3] (dashed curves). T h e approximation formula for
the erosion coefficient, which was refined with the
use of the d a t a obtained, is of the form ~ = 1-t-0.075
x(J - 20.8) (the solid curve).
However, it should be noted that the presence of
ripples on the surface, which are characteristic of ero-
sive burning, can change the hydrodynamic flow pat-
tern. In the supersonic channel, the Reynolds num-
ber took values from 3- 106 to 8- 106 . The boundary
for the use of the drag formula for smooth tubes is
determined by the inequality [7]
k 16.3
-< . . . . . = (1.8-4.4). 10 -4,
a Re~/0.0032+0.221Re-0-2zz
where k is the height of the ripples and a is the chan-
nel diameter. The relative roughness of the channel is
k/a = (3-7). 10 - s , which is considerably larger than
the critical value. On the other hand, the applica-
tion of the drag coefficient for rough tubes in (2) is
not justified either, because the regime of developed
~r
f 9
roughness, which is determined by the condition
k
-->
390
a Re'f0.0032 + 0.221Re -~
for k/a = (4.0-10.5). 10 -3, does not occur for these
Re values for most of the experimental points. A su-
personic gas flow in the channel occurs in a transient
regime [7], and it is necessary to use an adequate re-
lation for the drag law for construction of the criterial
dependence in the given range of velocities.
REFERENCES
I. O. I. Leipunskii, =Physical fundaanentals of internal
ballistics of rocket missiles," in: Theory of Gunpow-
der and Explosive Combustion [in Russian], Nauka,
Moscow (1982).
2. M. K. Rasdan and K. K. Kuo, "Erosive burning of
solid propellants," in: K. K. Kuo and M. Sumrnerfield
(eds.), Fundamentals of Solid Propellant Combustion
( Progr. Astronautics and Aeronautics, 90) (1994).
3. V. N. Vilyunov, A. A. Dvoryashin, A. D. Maxgolin,
et al., =Combustion of ballistite gun powder H in a
sonic flow," Fiz. Goreniya Vzrpua, 8, No. 4, 501-505
(1972).
4. J. C. Trainean and P. Kuentzmann, =Ultrasonic mea-
surements of solid propellant burning rates in noz-
zleless rocket motors," J. Propul. Power, 2, No. 2,
215-222 (1986).
5. V. N. Vilyunov and Yu. M. Isaev, =Erosive burn-
9 1 ing in a supersonic flow," in: Chemical Physics
o 2 of Combustion and Explosion. Combustion of Con-
9 3
o 4 densed Systems: Proc. of the 9th All-Union Syrup. on
9 5 Combustion and Explosion, Chernogolovk,x (1989),
" 6
pp. 12-15.
f

35 45 55 65 J 6. V. N. Vilyunov, =Tlieory of erosive burning of gun

powders," Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 136, No. 2, 381-
Fig. 4. Erosion coefficient9 versus the Vilyamov parame- 383 (1961).
ter J: the figures denote the numbers of the corresponding 7. L. G. Loitsyanskii, Fluid and Gas Mechanics [in Rus-
experiments from Table 1. sima], Nauka, Moscow (1970).