Radiative ignition of fine-ammonium perchlorate composite propellants

Radiative ignition of quasi-homogeneous mixtures of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and hydroxyterminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder has been investigated experimentally. Solid propellants consisting of fine AP (2 μm) and HTPB binder (∼76/24% by mass) were ignited by CO₂ laser radiation. The lower boundary of a go/no-go ignition map (minimum ignition time vs. heat flux) was obtained. Opacity was varied by adding carbon black up to 1% by mass. Ignition times ranged from 0.78 s to 0.076 s for incident fluxes ranging from 60 W/cm² to 400 W/cm². It was found that AP and HTPB are sufficiently strongly absorbing of 10.6 μm CO₂ laser radiation (absorption coefficient ≈ 250 cm^-1) so that the addition of carbon black in amounts typical of catalysts or opacitymodifying agents (up to 1%) would have only a small influence on radiative ignition times at 10.6 μm. A simple theoretical analysis indicated that the ignition time-flux data are consistent with in-depth absorption effects. Furthermore, this analysis showed that the assumption of surface absorption is not appropriate, even for this relatively opaque system. For broadband visible/near-infrared radiation, such as from burning metal/oxide particle systems, the effects of in-depth absorption would probably be even stronger.