Multi‐Parameter Study of Nanoscale TiO₂ and CeO₂ Additives in Composite AP/HTPB Solid Propellants

Abstract

Abstract A statistical Taguchi L8 matrix was used to conduct a multi‐parameter study of the use of nanoscale additives in composite solid propellants. The additives studied were TiO 2 (titania) and CeO 2 (ceria). The other parameters involved in the experiment were the oxidizer loading and distribution, additive percentage and size, additive size (nano‐scale or μm‐scale), and the mixing method. Four baseline propellants without additives were also produced for comparison. The propellants were tested from 3.45 to 13.78 MPa in a strand bomb, and burning rate curves were determined for all formulas. By analyzing the Taguchi matrix, the sensitivity of each parameter according to the pressure sensitivity and burning rate of the propellant was calculated. The dominant factors depend on whether the additive is needed for modifying the pressure index or the absolute value of the burning rate. In general, the effectiveness of the additives was most influenced by oxidizer percentage, oxidizer size distribution, and additive type. The amount of additive, mixing method, and additive size all had relatively minor impacts on the effectiveness of the additives.