Mechanical Characteristics and Thermal Decomposition Behavior of Polytetrahydrofuran Binder using Glycerol Propoxylate (Mn=260) as Crosslinking Agent

Polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) is an effective binder ingredient for improving propellant performance, even though it is not an energetic material. PTHF becomes sufficiently rubbery for use as a binder when a triol material such as glycerin is added as a crosslinking modifier. The cured PTHF/glycerin binder had unsatisfactory mechanical characteristics for use as a propellant binder, so a more appropriate crosslinking modifier than glycerin needs to be found. In this study, glycerol propoxylate (GPO), with a molecular weight of 260, was used as a crosslinking modifier, and the curing behavior, tensile properties, and thermal decomposition behaviors of the PTHF binder using GPO were investigated. The PTHF/GPO blend did not solidify when the PTHF/GPO mole ratio () was greater than a certain value. The PTHF (Mn=650)/GPO blend with 5 and the PTHF (Mn=1400)/GPO blend with 3 were used as propellant binders. From the curing behaviors and tensile properties, it was found that the PTHF/GPO binders ensured optimal mixing of the propellant ingredients and casting of the uncured propellant into the rocket motor case, and the tensile properties of the binders changed more drastically with the variation in than did those of the PTHF/glycerin binders. The thermal decomposition behaviors of the PTHF/GPO binders were hardly dependent on and were almost identical to those of the PTHF/glycerin binders.