Combustion Mechanism of Double‐Base Propellants with lead burning rate catalysts

AbstractOn the basis of relevant experimental phenomena and results, which also include the results on the domain of non‐propellant combustion, this paper has determined basic reactions caused by lead burning rate catalysts in the combustion process and their approximate reaction temperature. In the presence of carbonaceous matter on the burning surface the partial NO is reduced to N2 through six reactions occurred on the carbonaceous matter instead of the reaction between NO and CO. As a result of changing the reducing path of a part of NO the burning rate rises through increasing the temperature gradient in the fizz zone at the burning surface. The reactions between PbO and C and between PbO and CO check the burning rate to rise through expending carbonaceous matter on the burning surface and causing char particles to “fly off” the burning surface. The super‐rate, plateau and mesa effects are perfectly explained with these reactions and the fundamentals of heat transference. The production of the effects arises from the competing of two actions to increase burning rate and to check the burning rate enhancement of lead burning rate catalysts and the effect of the pressure on the burning rate. Because of the fact that the chance to form carbon nuclei and the time of the carbon deposit, the covering ratio of the carbonaceous matter on PbO particles, and the temperature increasing rate and the lagging temperature difference in C‐PbO interfaces depend on the pressure, the ability by the reaction between PbO and C and between PbO and CO checking the burning rate to rise makes a great difference in different ranges of the pressure. In addition, according to the combustion mechanism advanced in the paper the effects of the physical and chemical properties of lead burning rate catalysts, especially their ability to absorb the ultraviolet light, on the rate‐increased values and the pressure ranges of the plateau and the mesa regions have been expounded.