Study of the Mechanical Properties of a CMDB Propellant over a Wide Range of Strain Rates Using a Group Interaction Model

Composite modified double base (CMDB) propellants are heterogeneous propellants in which properties are significantly improved by adding solid particles into the polymer matrix. A molecular group interaction model that can predict the mechanical properties of polymers through a molecular structure is used to predict the viscoelastic behavior of the CMDB propellant. Considering that the addition of solid particles will improve the crosslinking degree between polymer molecules and reduce its secondary loss peak, the input parameters of the model are modified through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) experimental data. By introducing the strain rate into the expression of model glass transition temperature, the mechanical properties of propellant over a wide strain range (1.7×10-4 s-1 3000 s-1) are obtained. The reliability of the model is verified by comparison with uniaxial compression test data. By modifying the input parameters of the model, the effects of different mass ratios of nitrocellulose (NC)/nitroglycerin (NG) on the mechanical properties of the CMDB propellant were analyzed. The results show that the glass transition loss increases with increasing mass ratio of NC/NG, while Young's modulus and yield stress decrease.