Design of a Solid Rocket Motor for an Air to Air Missile
by
Andrew Joseph Gandia
A Project Submitted to the Graduate
Faculty of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ENGINEERING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Approved:
_________________________________________
Ernesto Gutierrez - Miravete, Project Adviser
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Hartford, Connecticut
May, 2012
(For Graduation August, 2012)
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CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ iii
LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ................................................................................................... v
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... vi
To BE FILLED IN AS PROJECT CONTINUES
iii
LIST OF TABLES
TBD
iv
LIST OF FIGURES
TBD
v
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
TBD
vi
ABSTRACT
This paper provides a conceptual design for a solid rocket motor for an air to air missile
to meet a specified mission. The design will utilize a trade study process to develop the
final design. First, a preliminary design of the solid rocket motor will be created as a
baseline for comparison utilizing an analytical approach. Trade Studies will then be
conducted on specific input parameters of the motor. The final stage will utilize the
preliminary design and the results of the trade studies to create and refine a final design.
The project will consist of analysis utilizing propulsion principles and BurnSim software
as applicable, and will result in a comparison table comparing the final design against
the preliminary design.
vii
1. Introduction
Design for missile solid rocket motors is critical for modern warfare. Missiles are used
amongst militaries all over the world, and provide the capability to precisely strike
specified targets. Missions for different missiles are dependent on the specified type and
required capability. Different applications of missiles include ballistic missiles, anti-ship
missiles, and air to air missiles.
Figure 1: Air to Air Missile
A key example of an air to air missile is the AMRAAM AM-120. This medium range
missile was developed as a result of a Joint Service Operational Requirement in the post-
1985 timeframe. It is powered by a solid rocket motor and can achieve a speed of Mach
4 in a range in excess of 30 miles. In long range engagements, the AMRAAM utilizes
inertial guidance and receives updated target information from the launch aircraft.
Aircraft utilizing this weapon system today include the F-15, and F-16, and F-18
fighters. (Reference Global Security)
Figure 2: AM-120A Missile (Reference AIM-120)
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Key to understanding a solid rocket motors design is to first understand the system it is
powering. Although the composition of a missile includes numerous components, the
four essential components include: a drive system, design, guidance systems, and
warhead. The drive system is defined as the propulsion system utilized to power the
missile to its specified target. The design is derived from the mission specifications and
is the primary driver of the configuration and size. The guidance system calculates the
missiles current position and the position of the target, and then calculates a course
between them. The warhead is the provider of primary destructive power to the target.
With the understanding of mission requirements and the configuration of the missile, the
design of a motor can be investigated to validate compliance to a specific mission.
Design of solid rocket motors has been addressed for numerous aspects in papers by
researchers such as Richard Nakka and R. Clay Hainline, as well as addressed by
government agencies including NASA.
This study will focus on the design of a solid rocket motor for an air to air missile under
ideal conditions. The solid rocket motor will be designed to have a total mass no greater
than 150 kg. The warhead mass provided is 25 kg and the guidance system allocation is
45 kg. The overall length cannot exceed 4 meters and the missile must also be able to
operate at an altitude of 3,000 m and fly at Mach 4 for 60 km.
The design approach will include:
1) A Preliminary Design
2) Trade Studies
3) Final Design
A comparison of the preliminary and final design will be shown.
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2. Theory
Fundamentals of Rocket Design
Rockets are the oldest type of aerospace propulsion system, dating back 2000 years to
the Han Dynasty. Rockets are propulsion systems that produce thrust by accelerating
mass through a nozzle. Chemical reactions are relied on by many rockets as an energy
source. The propellant utilized in rockets consists of fuel and oxidizer components. The
oxidizer is necessary since rockets are non air-breathing engines. Chemical rockets are
categorized as: Liquid Propellant Rockets, Solid Propellant Rockets, or hybrid propellant
rockets. (Text book reference)
Solid Rocket Motor
The solid rocket motor contains the propellant to be burned within a casing. The
propellant takes the solid form called a grain, and once ignited, burns on the surfaces that
are not inhibited by the case.
Figure xx: Solid Rocket Schematic
The grain cross section is a factor in impacting the thrust versus time and performance of
the rocket. For example, as seen from figure xx, a propellant with a tubular grain design
will have a thrust that will increase over time, while a rod and tube design will have a
thrust that is relatively stable over time. The selection of grain design is dependent on
application.
x
Figure xx: Grain Cross Sections (Source: Aerospace Propulsion Systems)
In addition, there are two types of burning for a solid rocket motor. The first, end
burning charges, are designed so that burning begins at one end of the chamber until
reaching the other end. The second, and more prominently utilized, is radial burning,
where the propellant cross sectional area is changed over time. Radial burning provides
high values of thrust for shorter durations of burn time. Figure xx shows the surface
recession of a solid propellant.
Figure xx: Surface Recession of a solid propellant.
(Source: Hainline Clay Report)
Propellants:
Solid Rocket Motor Propellants are categorized as homogeneous, heterogeneous, or
composite modified double base. The selection of the propellant, as well as looking at
different input parameters of the motor, is fundamental to the design of the rocket motor.
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A key parameter for understanding the impact of a propellant is the burning rate. The
law that correlates the burning rate of a propellant to the critical pressure and propellant
characteristics is Vielles Law:
1000
) 10 (
5 n
c
b
P k
r
=
Where k represents the burning rate constant and n represents the burning rate exponent
for a given propellant.
Thrust Calculations
To determine the thrust, three parameters are determined dependant on the design of the
rocket and selection of propellant. These parameters are the thrust coefficient C
f
, the
chamber pressure P
c
, and the throat area A*. Utilizing these parameters, the thrust of the
rocket can be found utilizing the following expression:
*
,
A P C F
C Actual F N
=
The thrust over time is dependent on the change in chamber pressure. The chamber
pressure will be discussed below and varies with the burn area over time.
Chamber Pressure
The chamber pressure is calculated utilizing input parameters of the rocket as shown
below:
n
c b P
c
X A
RT k A
P
(
(
=
1
1
* *
5
1000
) 10 (
Chamber pressure plays a critical role in determining the hoop stress experienced by the
casing of the solid propellant. This equation drives the decision of an appropriate
material to be utilized.
M
c c
d
fety FactorofSa t P ) (
= o
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Range Equation
A fundamental element to meeting missile specifications is understanding the range and
velocity of a rocket. For this project, the following expressions will be utilized to
calculate these parameters at different time steps along the rocket trajectory.
Velocity Equation at each time step:
t
m
F
V V
t
t dt t
A + =
+
*
Range Equation for each time step:
t V x x
dt t t dt t
A + =
+ +
Design Approach
To assess the mission objectives for the air to air missile mission, a trade study approach
has been developed
Figure xx: Trade Study Approach for Motor Design
Preliminary Design
Trade Studies
Final Design
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1) Preliminary Design
a) Analytical Approach
To begin the effort, an analytical preliminary design will be prepared. The overall goal
of this preliminary design is to develop an ideal rocket motor to serve as a baseline for
later trades.
The necessary input parameters necessary for the solid motor include propellant, motor
diameter, various lengths (charge length, nozzle length), various thicknesses (motor
casing and insulation), nozzle diameter, and material. In addition, configuration
decisions will need to be made, such as the need for fins for the missile.
Utilizing these inputs, equations in accordance with solid rocket propulsion will be used
to size the motor rocket. This approach will include analytical calculations based upon
the provided inputs to size the motor. Included in the dependant variables are nozzle exit
area, throat area, chamber pressure, burn rate, specific impulse, burn time, total mass,
thrust, and range.
The final product will be a table documenting the results and assumptions for the
preliminary design.
b) BurnSim Comparison
The results of the Preliminary Design through the analytical approach will be compared
to the simulation results from the BurnSim Software
2) Trade Studies
Once all parameters have been calculated and a design has been prepared, the second
phase will be to compare input variables of the motor design versus mission output
requirements. The following trades will be performed for this project:
a) Material Trade: Utilization of different materials for the motor casing.
b) Propellant Trade: The impact of selecting a different propellant with different
parameters as the baseline will be traded.
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c) Variation of Dimensions Trade: A trade study will be performed to understand
the impact of changing the charge length and by changing the motor thickness of
the rocket.
d) Additional Trades: With rocket motors, there are many variables that can be
impacted. This task will allow for any additional trades (time permitting) to be
performed to complete the final design.
3) Final Design
Utilizing the preliminary design and the trade study results, a design of the motor will be
performed to meet the mission requirements. A similar analytical approach to perform
iterations of the motor design utilizing the lessons learned from the trade study will be
used. In addition, the BurnSim Software will be used at this stage to validate the final
design based upon on the preliminary design and trades. The result of the final design
will include a comparison chart of the parameters utilized in the preliminary design
versus the final design, and comparison plots from BurnSim.
In addition to the analysis, a visual computer aided design model will be created for the
final design.
Validation of Tools
Prior to performing analysis on the specified mission requirements, a theoretical
example from reference xx was utilized to validate both the analytical and BurnSim
Software versus the expected thrust versus time curve. The analysis was performed for a
radial burning solid rocket motor utilizing a tubular grain cross section. Figure xx shows
the theoretical thrust profile for this cross section.
For the analytical approach, Microsoft Excel was utilized. Since mass flow rate and
conduit area are dependent on time, time steps of 0.5 seconds were taken. Utilizing this
approach, the burn time of the propellant was approximately 2.7 seconds and the
resulting plot is shown below.
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Figure xx: Thrust vs. Time for Analytical Approach
The BurnSim software, utilizing the same inputs, resulted in the following plot below.
The blue line represents the thrust and the units for force are pound force and the burn
time was calculated to be 2.59 seconds.
Figure xx: Thrust vs. Time for BurnSim
Figure xx compares the results of both the analytical approach versus BurnSim. The
results outputted below show a percent error of 21% at time equals 0.01 seconds and a
percent error of 10% at time equal to 2.5 s. The rationale behind this percent difference
is the conversion between metric and English units amongst both tools and the
assumptions incorporated into the BurnSim software. Although there are slight deltas
amongst the tools, the BurnSim tool can be utilized to validate the analytical approach
for this effort.
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
T
h
r
u
s
t
(
N
)
Time (s)
Thrust vs Time
Analytical
xvi
Figure xx: Thrust vs. Time Comparison
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
180000
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
T
h
r
u
s
t
(
N
)
Time (s)
Thrust vs Time
Analytical
BurnSim
