A Comparison of Liquid and Solid Propellant Boost Rocket Motors

Boost units for test vehicles and missiles have up to the present used only solid propellants. Because of the need for boost units of higher thrust and efficiency the possibility of the development of liquid propellant boost units of total impulse 43,000 and 150,000 lb-sec has been examined and thei...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Broughton, L W, Frauenberger, H J
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ATI COLLECTION
ATI-85583
BOOST PHASE
BOOSTER ROCKET ENGINES
COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
COMPARISON
FOREIGN REPORTS
Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines
LIQUID PROPELLANTS
ROCKET ENGINES
Solid Propellant Rocket Engines
SOLID PROPELLANTS
TEST VEHICLES
THRUST
UNITED KINGDOM
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Summary:Boost units for test vehicles and missiles have up to the present used only solid propellants. Because of the need for boost units of higher thrust and efficiency the possibility of the development of liquid propellant boost units of total impulse 43,000 and 150,000 lb-sec has been examined and their performance compared with that of the solid propellant type. The conclusion is reached that whilst liquid boost units could be developed to give a better performance (based on total impulse per unit weight) than solid boosts known at present, the development of solid boosts giving as good, or better performance is equally promising; on these grounds, therefore, there seems little justification for the development of a liquid boost. The liquid boost has the advantage, however, of greater flexiblity in installation in that the combustion chamber can be fitted at the rear of the vehicle and thus ensures a purely axial thrust; at the time the tanks can be mounted at any suitable point around the body of the vehicle so that the shift in the centre of gravity is reduced to a minimum. If, the supply of any future high performance solid propel insufficient to meet the demand, the development and use of a liquid boost motor might be justified on this account alone.