NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT
5280
SELF-HEATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOLID PROPELLANT
by
JOSEPH . LOFTUS
<NBS>U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
Functions and Activities
The functions of the National Bureau of Standards are set forth in the Act of Congress, March
3, 1901, as amended b) Congress in Public Law 619, 1950. These include the development and
maintenance of the national standards of measurement and the provision of means and methods
for making measurements consistent with these standards; the determination of physical constants
and properties of materials; the development of methods and instruments for testing materials,
devices, and structures; advisor) services to Government Agencies on scientific and technical
problems; invention and development of devices to serve special needs of the Government; and the
development of standard practices, codes, and specifications. The work includes basic and applied
research, development, engineering, instrumentation, testing, evaluation, calibration services, and
various consultation and information services. A major portion of the Bureau’s work is performed
for other Government Agencies, particularly the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy
Commission. The scope of activities is suggested by the listing of divisions and sections on the
inside of the back cover.
Reports and Publications
The results of the Bureau’s work take the form of either actual equipment and devices or
published papers and reports. Reports are issued to the sponsoring agency of a particular project
or program. Published papers appear either in the Bureau’s own series of publications or in the
journals of professional and scientific societies. The Bureau itself publishes three monthly peri-
odicals, available from the Government Printing Office: The Journal of Research, which presents
complete papers reporting technical investigations; the Technical News Bulletin, which presents
summar) and preliminary reports on work in progress; and Basic Radio Propagation Predictions,
which provides data for determining the best frequencies to use for radio communications throughout
the world. There are also five series of nonperiodical publications: The Applied Mathematics
Series, Circulars, Handbooks, Building Materials and Structures Reports, and Miscellaneous
Publications.
Information on the Bureau’s publications can be found in NBS Circular 460, Publications of
the National Bureau of Standards ($1.25) and its Supplement ($0.75), available from the Superin-
tendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.
Inquiries regarding the Bureau’s reports should be addressed to the Office of Technical Informa-
tion, National Bureau of Standards, Washington 25, D. C.
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORTNBS PROJECT NBS REPORT
1002-30-4873 May 10, 1957 5280
SELF-HEATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOLID PROPELLANT
by
JOSEPH LOFTUS
forBureau of Ships
Department of the Navy
Code 538
Index Number NS-183-001
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STA
intended for use within the G
to additional evaluation and re
listing of this Report, either if
the Office of the Director, Nat
however, by the Government i
to reproduce additional copies
IMPORTANT NOTICE
rogress accounting documents
Approved for public release by the^elmSre
Director of the National Institute ofi on is obtained in writing from
Standards and Technology (NIST) Such permission is not needed,
~ , r. prepared if that agency wisheson October 9, 201 5.
<NBS>
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
mj~ M2im ismm:rnBimxc4 of • iu.iv ‘tnunxy x
mmimM
a bri®f sMfer iwaa •*» of tfe» xmetarae fcoyi&tian el’ a solid ^roo^lloot *
TM wtiisri of a**? the or t e3r©l?©U@*it as eoo^iroO wttb m'mml %m®mn **t4rii*ls
mm 4&t&mlh9$»
I*
4 48$CKIft&¥* tawawrth iiwe,giigstiaa^
£ftal#jiKi to assist in tfo& mlnUM of fim m*zreproblems m&%U tiw atiitary w<® o£ & o£
h*Os aa£ c?:oioisiJtK afa&tsr* lo^luOa-:; fc StuFy of ivignition pro*»rU*s at noli# pi^F^iXimir* la
tilth parfettMlari? *« -era:
MtlH irndl la tins ofa *iMr ol‘ the oh&T^isrist-Ur ei o
®csli4 pmpsU^t ::&s ho© i
aMSa*
a* mmmAUrn w&p®l%jmt w tn# as^y ww ***ia rite
&& ±$i S|54* aatf wm *m% into mS!m& ine >a . Ar
an£ 4 itfftfe tuiafe.
3* f®»3 AJD J&&UU
!fh© stitar£*l m» tatted in t smtl automaticflgraftOfe 4a*tgaed for study of tha salf-oeattaf tharretorivi-
tte* of poorly eoridusEtiag materials* £h» twrmee m&its eontrels near® cwitlmeted to .miatalii a fttroace
t#ia,por^fearo- folXcndaft* at aJU ti--»M* tn*.t oftout®* of the tsaeitNRb ihus # losta of hoat froe the
HKtlaaa tem-mm a»gl£$ifc&* f ml th# vholo ajpaelam was
-
. .
"
’
;
1
I '
-
*!' '.
'
;'
' ’
‘ '
‘
* v ** '
allowed to heat at trio 3®
m
rate- ilia eoxidltleasestablished approach, therefore, those wftic i exist iaaa infinitely large sample of the oateri^l. stu per lita study of the behavior which stay be eapeciod ia* l&r.;aquantity or highly InraflUttwl storage*
the test specimen with tberaoceoples wasted at thecenter and near the surface was -wasted within the
elttusSjer* the air ttoqMtirafcttre within the fttraacewas indicated by a it»?^QUple :*@aated below the speci-icn,and daring the initial w«pi up period s constant selectedfurnace teeperattero was ••sidntaitiod by a tber'-asstatlccontroller* Iter the interior of the epaelwt stUi v-
th# te^perataro of the sir in the furnace ohaeber* wfurther increase ia the spool w* teoperatttr* aato mticelly3leeoaaecte£ the ttareostatle controller and initiatedoperation of a servt^e&trcller which supplies heat asns»M to sniiit&lzi the smallest possible teaperttvr#difference bett^ea the Interior of the apeelaea and ttgaafte in the hnsst* £ continuous chart of the tenporc—tore® within the apieisiafft and. in the fiame* was obtal srby neaus of an autocratic raMr&Kp the apeeiaaeatempetmtuare ms plotted, againrl tiee to give a tl i#-temperature curve* characteristic of the m-teri&l- *
mm eomm&mt expression of the data my be develops*ia the fere
JL - ^
where f * Solute tesgerafam* * tirse
* n cmsimut
0 » && activation constant divided by thegas constant,
ca: < ... L'
'
.
"^1U; *v* &•***•• hr-,
-
-
-
:
r - \-
..::
•
:- ;
'fi
. .
'•
•; -. •;.
'.-I :: • - % s ; j •„ . •
«« ' IV , .-/ •,. iv..- -j
'-
r
''
» . -t & 'i m S & ••/'• >
tte f^p»3A&at tost mre -m\& mp IntooyUalefs of 2 $mU length m& 2 $m& $t*aotor hjr
$%&&%!$& fs» *iMNcr*9 am tapoa the otiwr* v*i& :t
of tto test speelmn m lp3 gM, theItmi was s#i at ^ijr^jd-isatelF l€4*ig «I ligmosadstof® tot fepj^jomtaro astir item IwmtXag wii&Xa the$|i©ctoa actoiml to aatoaUe control:
.
tkxftm those mu&lH&em to propellant mt®rl&!srm&ired tout 10 hoars to to tgaitiea*
Tbs fMilt* of the prapoXladi tost* sre glwm inFisam it togotor *Mfe Umm of sialic tests cmliiroeeXXoloso * wood ftborW^d. oafi Xinaead oil* -lie
curves tow tfea rat* of ta^oraturo rto ta to ffpoctoBaftef solf^mtiis; w starts;! anti tor sato^atiefollow-up tagtotto of the -far-ntac© mi \mwm oporatire*nrves at Ml» vdOhos of **£j£**e£l tosw&tur®Indicate atibMlttttac •* MSUtoO? lowr twspw*t«ss.
m%m® of salf^houtiiig mir fc» *•<*-• directly
£m to graph, a# illiiBtratec! «t to fototitotcmperatoregi.
ih» propollmat mieriaX abowa^ geXf-bamtlag at a r&ia
MMM ??nt^lr 6 tto* tot of ftitroconaXoso ml Ft-
tto* that dr wood maato*a« vtilefe oMMOr *g* **•
&lm tmMm atorm^e teqpvfttar#* up to 6o--:aW- ^Xmt h&s to® toMtt t© igalt* s?|»oateS6om^lr toa stae*^hot tmt taaaagtsc^iro, witoat proper cooling*
Material
aih>333# ^p#UsatatrocoXXuXo-jefeoov: -itarboavdLinseed Oil
**tr
, i -ft-;,,; v
c ft-ft.:: v .-v, t -ft r;.; ft:ft' ft
, . -..si ....... v * : ;:.ft* ft.;- iftft-ft. -ft' -ft >:••
: ftftft 7<- ftft. ft: :i^.tft-ft - ftft- ft- *
:
t V
'
ft 'V ft ft •<
ft ft'ftft-, !.. ••; ft ft -,ftft , i ftftftftft.^ iftftV-ft.-,
> ft ft:
- • ft: , f
.
-
ft--.ft
'ft . .
ft .
k* omciciprm m iaitl&l Ifik-x: tfeg
m^W& propwUautf. mimr&Bl wiiea tast8& as
aatesltM, wit 3iiri Xu mr * to -a
of 159 '
* -t wry r&pi
cornmstXoa set la bM tim mmpl& --ms CQnmm-.l*
' '•'
'
•* » Y u .
, • - t * *
* ::
;V •;
-
RATE
OF
SELF
HEATING
,
°C
/HOUR
2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80
X I03
FIG. I SELF HEATING CHARACTERISTICSOF MATERIALS TESTED
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCESinclair Weeks, Secretary
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDSA. V. Astin, Director
THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
The scope of activities of the National Bureau of Standards at its headquarters in Washington,D. C., and its major field laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, is suggested in the following listing ofthe divisions and sections engaged in technical work. In general, each section carries out spe-
cialized research, development, and engineering in the field indicated hy its title. A brief
description of the activities, and of the resultant reports and publications, appears on theinside front cover of this report.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Electricity and Electronics. Resistance ami Reactance. Electron Tubes. Electrical Instruments.Magnetic Measurements. Dielectrics. Engineering Electronics. Electronic Instrumentation.Electrochemistry-
Optics and Metrology. Photometry and Colorimetry. Optical Instruments. PhotographicTechnology. Length. Engineering Metrology.
Heat and Power. Temperature Physics. Thermodynamics. Cryogenic Physics. Rheologyand Lubrication. Engine Fuels.
Atomic and Radiation Physics. Spectroscopy. Radiometry. Mass Spectrometry. Solid State
Physics. Electron Physics. Atomic Physics. Nuclear Physics. Radioactivity. X-rays. Betatron.
Nucleonic Instrumentation. Radiological Equipment. AEC Radiation Instruments.
Chemistry. Organic Coatings. Surface Chemistry. Orgajiic Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry.Inorganic Chemistry. Electrodeposition. Gas Chemistry. Physical Chemistry. Thermo-chemistry. Spectrochemistry. Pure Substances.
Mechanics. Sound. Mechanical Instruments. Fluid Mechanics. Engineering Mechanics.
Mass and Scale. Capacity, Density, and Fluid Meters. Combustion Controls.
Organic and Fibrous Materials. Rubber. Textiles. Paper. Leather. Testing and Specifica-
tions. Polymer Structure. Organic Plastics. Dental Research.
Metallurgy', Thermal Metallurgy. Chemical Metallurgy. Mechanical Metallurgy. Corrosion.
Metal Physics.
Mineral Products. Engineering Ceramics. Glass. Refractories. Enameled Metals. Concreting
Materials. Constitution and Microstruclure.
Building Technology. Structural Engineering. Fire. Protection. Healing and Air Condi-
tioning. Floor. Roof, and Wall Coverings. Codes and Specifications.
Applied Mathematics. Numerical Analysis. Computation. Statistical Engineering. Mathe-
matical Physics.
Data Processing Systems. SEAC Engineering Croup. Components and Techniques. Digital
Circuitry. Digital Systems. Analogue Systems. Application Engineering.
• Office of Basic Instrumentation ° Office ol Weights and Measures
BOULDER, COLORADO
Cryogenic Engineering. Cryogenic Equipment. Cryogenic Processes. Properties ol Materials.
Gas Liquefaction.
Radio Propagation Physics. Upper Atmosphere Research. Ionospheric Research. Regular
Propagation Services. Sun-Earth Relationships.
Radio Propagation Engineering. Data Reduction Instrumentation. Modulation Systems.
Navigation Systems. Radio Noise. Tropospheric Measurements. T ropospherit Analysis. Radio
Systems Application Engineering.
Radio Standards. Ratlin Frequencies. Microwave Frequencies. High Frequency F.lecti ical
Standards. Radio Broadcast Service. High Frequency Impedance Standards. Calibration
Center. Microwave Physics. Microwave Circuit Standards.