Experimental and simulation research on microscopic damage of HTPB propellant under tension-shear loading

In order to study the influence of loading conditions on propellant mesoscopic failure morphology, scanning electron microscopy was carried out to observe the morphology of the failure section of a hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene propellant under different temperatures, loading speeds, and loading conditions. Using the finite element method, a mesoscopic model of a composite solid propellant was constructed, and the mechanical parameters of the propellant particle–matrix interface were obtained based on the parameter inversion method. A meso-model of a hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene propellant under different loading conditions was constructed, and numerical results were compared with experimental results to analyze the meso-damage. With decreasing temperature and increasing loading speed, the level of propellant damage increased, and the particle–matrix interface became more prone to damage under the combined action of tensile and shear loads. In addition, with an increasing loading angle, ammonium perchlorate particles were more prone to dewetting.