Oddities in determining burning rate on basis of closed vessel tests of single base propellant

The proper determination of parameter values defining the dependence of the burning rate r of smokeless propellant on gas pressures p surrounding the burning grains constitutes one of the goals of experimental pyrostatic (closed vessel) testing. The aim of the hereby paper is the analysis of results of experimental closed vessel tests realized in the context of isolating possible oddities in determining the relation r(p). During the experimental tests, a single base propellant with grains of different or similar combustible layer thickness e_1 was burned while implementing identical or various loading conditions. Identical ignition systems were used in both instances. The results of experimental tests and theoretical analysis performed permit a more complete verification of the assumptions with regard to proper realization of pyrostatic comparative tests and prove additionally that closed vessel tests should be focused in the direction of ``dedicated'' tests.