A computational framework for predicting the combustion of energetic materials in an expanding chamber

Purpose Various simplifications are introduced into the establishment of numerical models for problems with strong nonlinear interactions. The combustion of energetic materials in a chamber with moving boundaries is a typical example. This paper aims to establish a coupled numerical model for predicting the internal combustion in a launch process. Design/methodology/approach A two-fluid model is used to predict the fluid field induced by the propellant combustion. The moving boundary is located by using a finite element method. Based on a user subroutine interface in the commercial software ABAQUS, the development of the fluid field and the mechanical interactions is coupled with each other. Findings The paper is devoted to provide a coupled computational framework for predicting the propellant combustion in an expanding chamber. The coupling strategy is validated through predicting a pressure-driven piston system. Based on the validated computational framework, the two-phase reactive flows in a launch process is studied. The predicted parameters agree well with experimental measurements. Originality/value This paper provide a method to address the difficulties in realizing the dynamic interactions between multi-phase reactive flows and mechanical behaviors. The computational framework can be used as a research tool for investigating fluid field in a combustion chamber with moving boundaries.