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A Viscometric study of mixtures with Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and short chain diols used in the
Bruno C C DA Cunha1, Marcela G Domingues2, José A F F Rocco2
1Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço, Divisão de Propulsão, Praça Marechal Eduardo Gomes, 50, Vila das Acácias, 12228-904 São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is widely used in the formulations of solid propellants used in rocket motors. Furthermore, in general, chain extenders and short chain diols, such as 1,4-butanediol and 1,2-propanediol, can also be used in propellant formulations to improve mechanical properties, especially tensile strength. However, the incorporation of these diols can result in a considerable increase in the viscosity of the mixture during the processing of propellants. Thus, the present study evaluated the compatibility of these diols with the HTPB prepolymer, through a viscometric study, with the aim to determine the order of addition that results in greater homogeneity for the mixture. It was concluded that 1,4-butanediol, due to its larger chain size, has better compatibility with HTPB resin than 1,2-propanediol. On top of that, it was found that when the resin is added first, it results in mixtures with greater compatibility.
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