Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Thiokol Corporation

Physical Sciences, Inc.

Ingvar A Wallace

Prakash B Joshi

Dean M Lester

B David Green

Alan H Gelb

Bernard L Upschulte

W David Starrett

Gary K Lund

Jerald C Hinshaw

Reed J Blau

Paul C Braithwaite

Jamie B Neidert

Jeffery Oyler

Dan W Doll

A vehicle includes at least one polyoxymethylene structural support member. The polyoxymethylene structural support member includes a polyoxymethylene component that is a propellant that provides thrust to the vehicle upon pyrolysis or combustion of the polyoxymethylene component of the product of pyrolysis of the polyoxymethylene component. The vehicle can be a satellite or other type of spacecraft.

Method for fabricating structural propellants

Polyoxymethylene as structural support member and propellant

A nitrate ester plasticized energetic composition in which the binder is made of, prior to curing, lower alkylene glycol prepolymer blocks end-capped with ethylene glycol monomers and/or oligomers. The end-capped prepolymer blocks are preferably difunctional or trifunctional. The lower alkylene glycol are preferably propylene glycol, butylene glycol, and/or copolymers thereof. The difunctional end-capped alkylene glycol prepolymer blocks are cured with a diisocyanate or polyisocyanate. In the case of a trifunctional (or higher functional) end-capped alkylene glycol prepolymer block, preferably a diisocyanate is used to effect crosslinking.

Nitrate ester plasticized energetic compositions, method of making and rocket motor assemblies containing the same

Composite propellant formulations containing a novel combination of bonding agent and cure catalyst together with carefully balanced HTPB binder and isocyanate curative may be mixed, cast, and cured at ambient temperature. The NCO/OH ratio is in the range from about 0.8 to about 0.9. The propellant formulations include as typical solid ingredients an oxidizer such as ammonium perchlorate and a reactive metal fuel such as aluminum. A plasticizer may optionally be included in the propellant to improve processing and low temperature properties. The bonding agents used in the present invention include a Schiff base or a combination of Schiff base and hydroxyl or amine functionality.

Ambient temperature mix, cast, and cure composite propellant formulations

Castable high explosive compositions having a binder system containing plastisol grade nitrocellulose (PNC) and an energetic plasticizer are disclosed. The explosive composition also includes a solid high explosive ingredient, such as an explosive nitramine. Reactive metals, such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium, and oxidizers, such as ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium dinitramide, are optionally included in the explosive compositions of the present invention. The disclosed explosive compositions have a typical detonation velocities above about 8000 m/s.

Plastisol explosive

A sodium-azide-free gas-generating composition includes an oxidizable borohydride fuel and an oxidizing agent containing oxygen and a metal. The fuel and the oxidizing agent are selected such that water vapor is produced upon reaction between the borohydride fuel and the oxidizing agent. Suitable oxidizing agents contain a metal and oxygen and are selected from a metal oxide, a metal oxide hydrate, a metal oxide hydroxide, a metal hydrous oxide, a metal hydroxide, or mixtures thereof. The fuel and oxidizing agent are selected such that water vapor is the major gaseous combustion product.

Borohydride fuels in gas generant compositions

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Brigham City, UT, United States of America

Ingvar A Wallace