• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2011

Hydroxyl terminated polyether(HTPE) propellants have been developed recently as possible replacements for HTPB/AP propellants currently used in a number of tactical rocker motor. As analyzing friability of HTPE and HTPB propellants in this study, the following results could be derived. The friability of the tested propellants depended on its binder contents, mechanical property, and burning rate. It was decreased as burning rate was lowered and toughness was increased.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.417-421
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• 2005

Novel two synthetic technics using cationic ring-opening copolymerization of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and ethylene oxide (EO), or just polymerized EO on Poly-THF, could lead to random hydroxyl-terminated poly(EO-ran-THF) or tri-block PEG-PTHF-PEC, respectively. These reactions were carried out using $BF_3O(C_2H_5)_2$ as catalyst, 1,4-butanediol or PTHF as diol initiator. Copolymer structures were controlled by monomer feed ratio, or initial PTHF and EO monomer added amount. The molecular weight of polymer was merely dependant on the ratio of [monomer]/[diol], but not on catalyst. Well-defined random and block hydroxyl-terminated copolyether was found to be as the prepolymer for the propellant binder from the experiment to polyurethane with them.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.229-232
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• 2006

Two novel synthetic route proposed for Hydro-Terminated Poly(EO-ran-THF) and tri-block(PEC-PTHF-PEG) copolymer by cationic ring-opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran(THF) and ethylene oxide(EO) and just by polymerization of EO on poly-THF, respectively. Polyurethane was synthesized from random and tri-block HTPE using N-100/IPDI mixture as curing agent, and TPB(Triphenylbismuth) as catalyst. The mechanical properties of resultant polyurethane after mixing with various ratio of isocyanate was also investigated. Finally, the post treatment process of HTPE based on amount of catalyst used in the synthesis was studied, to evaluate the optimum curing condition for the polyurethane propellant binder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.31-37
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the thermal decomposition and execute EIDS slow cook-off test for the propellant ingredients and 2 kinds of HTPE propellants. The thermal analysis of the propellant ingredients used in this study showed that the thermal stability of these materials decreases in the following order : AP > HTPE > AN > BuNENA. In addition, propellant HTPE 002 containing AN showed that an endothermic process at around $125^{\circ}C$ corresponding to the solid phase change(II$\rightarrow$I) of AN was followed by the exothermic process of BuNENA/AN mixture up to $200^{\circ}C$. In EIDS slow cook-off tests, HTPE 001 and HTPE 002 reacted at around $250^{\circ}C$ and $152^{\circ}C$ respectively, and both of them showed sudden temperature increase curves at $115^{\circ}C$. The critical temperatures, $T_c$, of thermal explosion for the propellants HTPE 001 and HTPE 002, were obtained from both the non-isothermal curves at various heating rates and Semenov's thermal explosion theory. Kissinger's method that was used to calculate $T_c$ was also employed to obtain the activation energies for thermal decompositions.