Mechanical characterization of composite solid rocket propellant based on hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene

Abstract

This paper presents the procedure of uniaxial mechanical characterization of composite solid rocket propellant based on hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), whose mechanical properties strongly depend on temperature, strain rate, natural aging and accumulated damage. A method of processing data is presented in order to determine time-temperature shift factor and master curves for tensile strength, ultimate strain and relaxation modulus, depending on reduced time. Functional dependences of these features represent an input for structural analysis of a rocket motor propellant grain. The effects of natural aging on the mechanical properties are also considered.