Temperature Measurement of Ballistic Evaluation Motor Using K-Type Thermocouple

• Published in: Journal of Mechanical Engineering
• Main Author: Fahizal A.S.; Salleh Z.; Hamid A.H.A.; Alias L.A.; Azizi M.Z.; Salleh N.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UiTM Press 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85215666558&doi=10.24191%2fjmeche.v13i1.1245&partnerID=40&md5=7b89410673829bdeee8ff3fc202c0c0e

The paper presents an investigation of the burning rate of the selected solid propellant using a Ballistic Evaluation Motor (BEM) for solid-rocket propulsion study. A K-type thermocouple was used to capture the temperature of the BEM. Previous studies on BEM have been customized to specific experiments accordingly without any standardized approach for temperature measurement. Variations in the methodology have led to inconsistent and potentially unreliable results across different research efforts. The purpose of the study is to establish a more reliable and standardized method for temperature measurement in BEM by validating the temperature readings recorded by a K-type thermocouple. The scope of the study includes recording the ignition and combustion temperature of the BEM against the time. Three different propellants were used in the experiments, ammonium perchlorate with sorbitol and magnesium, potassium nitrate with sucrose, and ammonium perchlorate with sorbitol and iron (III) oxide. The results indicate that ammonium perchlorate with sorbitol gives the highest maximum temperature which is at 101℃. The other propellants, ammonium perchlorate with magnesium and potassium nitrate with sucrose, recorded maximum temperatures of 75.20 °C and 57.25 °C, respectively. The validation process confirmed the reliability of the K-type thermocouple, with an average deviation of 2.3 °C to 3.7 °C from the reference thermometer readings. A notable performance was observed for the propellant using sorbitol and ammonium perchlorate with iron (III) oxide. The experiment contributes to significant findings of the solid-rocket propulsion study, hence advanced solid-rocket research can be explored from here onwards. © (2024), (UiTM Press). All rights reserved.