Experimental Analysis of Rheological Behaviour of a Multi-base Energetic Material During Non-continuous Mixing☆

Abstract The present work is focused on the experimental analysis of one of the main processes involved in manufacturing of energetic materials, such as the stage of non-continuous mixing, in which the solid and fluid initial elements are subject to plastic flow until the occurrence of gelation of the initial mixture and the achievement of expected mechanical properties. Non-continuous mixing of multi-base propellants is a really complex forming process of crucial relevance in production of these highly viscous special materials, because it defines the behavior that propellant doughs will present during their later extrusion and it also affects the physical, geometrical and ballistic properties of final products. In this work, the effect of mixing time, mixing energy and chemical formulation on rheological moduli of a triple-base propellant is analyzed, and some technical guidelines are proposed for optimization of mixing stage in propellant production.