Pressure-assisted binder jet additive manufacturing of solid propellants

Kirby, Levi; Lawrence, Adam; Udaykumar, H.S.; Sippel, Travis; Song, Xuan

doi:10.1016/j.addma.2023.103808

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 30 publications

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“…In parallel, photo-polymerization has lately emerged as a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing in a variety of industries [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Finally, extensive reviews have been performed on the application of various 3D printing technologies in energetic materials [ 6 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rheological and Mechanical Characterization of 3D-Printable Solid Propellant Slurry

Zumbo,

Stumpo,

Antonaci

et al. 2024

Polymers

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This study delves into the rheological and mechanical properties of a 3D-printable composite solid propellant with 80% wt solids loading. Polybutadiene is used as a binder with ammonium sulfate, which is added as an inert replacement for the ammonium perchlorate oxidizer. Further additives are introduced to allow for UV curing. An in-house illumination system made of four UV-A LEDs (385 nm) is employed to cure the resulting slurry. Rheological and mechanical tests are conducted to evaluate the viscosity, ultimate tensile strength and strain, and compression behavior. Viscosity tests are performed for both pure resin and complete propellant composition. A viscosity reduction factor is obtained for the tested formulations when pre-heating slurry. Uniaxial tensile and compression tests reveal that the mechanical properties are consistent with previous research. Results emphasize the critical role of temperature and solid loading percentage. Pre-heating resin composites may grant a proper viscosity reduction while keeping mechanical properties in the applicability range. Overall, these findings pave the way for the development of a 3D printer prototype for composite solid propellants.

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