NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT

5280

SELF-HEATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOLID PROPELLANT

by

JOSEPH . LOFTUS

<NBS>

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Functions and Activities

The functions of the National Bureau of Standards are set forth in the Act of Congress, March

3, 1901, as amended b) Congress in Public Law 619, 1950. These include the development and

maintenance of the national standards of measurement and the provision of means and methods

for making measurements consistent with these standards; the determination of physical constants and properties of materials; the development of methods and instruments for testing materials,

devices, and structures; advisor) services to Government Agencies on scientific and technical

problems; invention and development of devices to serve special needs of the Government; and the

development of standard practices, codes, and specifications. The work includes basic and applied

research, development, engineering, instrumentation, testing, evaluation, calibration services, and

various consultation and information services. A major portion of the Bureau’s work is performed

for other Government Agencies, particularly the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy

Commission. The scope of activities is suggested by the listing of divisions and sections on the

inside of the back cover.

Reports and Publications

The results of the Bureau’s work take the form of either actual equipment and devices or published papers and reports. Reports are issued to the sponsoring agency of a particular project

or program. Published papers appear either in the Bureau’s own series of publications or in the

journals of professional and scientific societies. The Bureau itself publishes three monthly periodicals, available from the Government Printing Office: The Journal of Research, which presents

complete papers reporting technical investigations; the Technical News Bulletin, which presents

summar) and preliminary reports on work in progress; and Basic Radio Propagation Predictions,

which provides data for determining the best frequencies to use for radio communications throughout

the world. There are also five series of nonperiodical publications: The Applied Mathematics

Series, Circulars, Handbooks, Building Materials and Structures Reports, and Miscellaneous

Publications.

Information on the Bureau’s publications can be found in NBS Circular 460, Publications of

the National Bureau of Standards ($1.25) and its Supplement ($0.75), available from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.

Inquiries regarding the Bureau’s reports should be addressed to the Office of Technical Information, National Bureau of Standards, Washington 25, D. C.
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT

NBS PROJECT NBS REPORT

1002-30-4873 May 10, 1957 5280

SELF-HEATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOLID PROPELLANT

by

JOSEPH LOFTUS

for

Bureau of Ships

Department of the Navy

Code 538

Index Number NS-183-001

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STA

intended for use within the G

to additional evaluation and re listing of this Report, either if the Office of the Director, Nat however, by the Government i to reproduce additional copies

IMPORTANT NOTICE

rogress accounting documents Approved for public release by the ^elmSre

Director of the National Institute of i on is obtained in writing from Standards and Technology (NIST) Such permission is not needed, ~ , r. prepared if that agency wishes on October 9, 201 5. <NBS>

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

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FIG. I SELF HEATING CHARACTERISTICS

OF MATERIALS TESTED

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Sinclair Weeks, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

A. V. Astin, Director THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The scope of activities of the National Bureau of Standards at its headquarters in Washington,

D. C., and its major field laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, is suggested in the following listing of

the divisions and sections engaged in technical work. In general, each section carries out spe- cialized research, development, and engineering in the field indicated hy its title. A brief

description of the activities, and of the resultant reports and publications, appears on the

inside front cover of this report.

WASHINGTON, D. C.

Electricity and Electronics. Resistance ami Reactance. Electron Tubes. Electrical Instruments. Magnetic Measurements. Dielectrics. Engineering Electronics. Electronic Instrumentation.

ElectrochemistryOptics and Metrology. Photometry and Colorimetry. Optical Instruments. Photographic

Technology. Length. Engineering Metrology.

Heat and Power. Temperature Physics. Thermodynamics. Cryogenic Physics. Rheology

and Lubrication. Engine Fuels.

Atomic and Radiation Physics. Spectroscopy. Radiometry. Mass Spectrometry. Solid State Physics. Electron Physics. Atomic Physics. Nuclear Physics. Radioactivity. X-rays. Betatron. Nucleonic Instrumentation. Radiological Equipment. AEC Radiation Instruments. Chemistry. Organic Coatings. Surface Chemistry. Orgajiic Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry.

Inorganic Chemistry. Electrodeposition. Gas Chemistry. Physical Chemistry. Thermochemistry. Spectrochemistry. Pure Substances.

Mechanics. Sound. Mechanical Instruments. Fluid Mechanics. Engineering Mechanics.

Mass and Scale. Capacity, Density, and Fluid Meters. Combustion Controls.

Organic and Fibrous Materials. Rubber. Textiles. Paper. Leather. Testing and Specifications. Polymer Structure. Organic Plastics. Dental Research.

Metallurgy', Thermal Metallurgy. Chemical Metallurgy. Mechanical Metallurgy. Corrosion.

Metal Physics.

Mineral Products. Engineering Ceramics. Glass. Refractories. Enameled Metals. Concreting

Materials. Constitution and Microstruclure.

Building Technology. Structural Engineering. Fire. Protection. Healing and Air Conditioning. Floor. Roof, and Wall Coverings. Codes and Specifications.

Applied Mathematics. Numerical Analysis. Computation. Statistical Engineering. Mathematical Physics.

Data Processing Systems. SEAC Engineering Croup. Components and Techniques. Digital

Circuitry. Digital Systems. Analogue Systems. Application Engineering.

• Office of Basic Instrumentation ° Office ol Weights and Measures

BOULDER, COLORADO

Cryogenic Engineering. Cryogenic Equipment. Cryogenic Processes. Properties ol Materials.

Gas Liquefaction.

Radio Propagation Physics. Upper Atmosphere Research. Ionospheric Research. Regular

Propagation Services. Sun-Earth Relationships.

Radio Propagation Engineering. Data Reduction Instrumentation. Modulation Systems.

Navigation Systems. Radio Noise. Tropospheric Measurements. T ropospherit Analysis. Radio

Systems Application Engineering.

Radio Standards. Ratlin Frequencies. Microwave Frequencies. High Frequency F.lecti ical Standards. Radio Broadcast Service. High Frequency Impedance Standards. Calibration

Center. Microwave Physics. Microwave Circuit Standards.