Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Koenig, Keith

Committee Member

Hodge, Keith

Committee Member

Lacy, Thomas E.

Committee Member

Janus, J. Mark

Date of Degree

12-9-2016

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Aerospace Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Additively manufactured fuels are becoming more common in the area of hybrid rockets due to the enhanced possibilities provided by computer aided design and improved additive material technology. When integrated with a highly compliant yet energetic paraffin wax, the additive manufactured material can help support the paraffin wax during the burn, and improve overall performance. This study investigates thin-walled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene structures that separate paraffin wax into azimuthally partitioned cells. The fuel grains are tested using a vertical test stand, custom nitrous system, and data acquisition system. The computer program Chemical Equilibrium with Applications is used to compare common hybrid fuels such as sorbitol, polybutadiene acrylic acid acrylonitrile, and poly(methyl methacrylate) along with the manufactured fuel. The experimental results indicate the promise of higher performance using paraffin. The analyses, however, show that refinements in grain design are necessary to fully realize the advantages of paraffin.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/18863

Download

Share

COinS