Solid rocket propellants have garnered renown in rocket propulsion systems due to their simplicity, safety, and costeffectiveness. Nonetheless, solid rocket propellants exhibit inherent constraints, notably limited thrust control and an inability to be extinguished once initiated. This study addresses the challenges associated with the extinction of solid rocket motors (SRMs). It investigates alternative strategies for extinguishing the SRMs, enabling engine reignition feasibility, in contrast to conventional methods that render them nonoperational.
In the present study, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, denoted as AOT, was employed as an additive for the flame extinction by incorporating it in ammonium perchlorate (AP) and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)-based solid propellants. Apart from this, attempts were also made to characterize these propellants using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), heat of combustion measurements, and ballistic properties assessment through burn rate analysis under ambient and highpressure conditions within the Crawford bomb setup. The results demonstrate that including dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate as an additive substantially enhances the heat of combustion of the propellant sample, elevating it from 5027.84 kJ/kg to 5342.27 kJ/kg. Moreover, the pressure exponent experiences a notable shift with incorporating AOT, reducing the onset temperature from 143.7 to 99°C. These findings underscore the promise of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate as an effective additive for improving the characteristics of solid rocket propellants, particularly about extinction and reignition capabilities.