A mass-spectrometric investigation of the chemistry of plateau burning propellants

✍ Scribed by Milton Farber; R.D. Srivastava

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 939 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-2180
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-2180(78)90143-8

✦ Synopsis

A mass-spectrometric study has been conducted involving double-base plateau burning propellants containing lead and copper organic salts. The pyrolysis and combustion of the metallic salts were also investigated. The results revealed that the metallic salts containing oxygen bonding to the metal decompose to the gaseous and condensed phase metallic elements, while covalent salts merely vaporize. The gaseous lead or copper atoms then react with the nitrate esters to form compounds such as PbNO 2 and CuNO 2, which are stable in the intermediate temperature zones. When the nitrites enter the combustion zone they react to produce the metallic hydroxides and oxides as predicted by the thermodynamic equilibria. The formation of the PbNO 2 and CuNO 2 may possibly be the criterion for the mechanism of the mesa effect.