Some Observations on the Thermal Stability of double-base Propellants

Heats of decomposition and explosion of double base propellants were measured as a function of aging time. They show opposite trends with aging time: heat of decomposition shows a gradual increase and heat of explosion a systematic decrease. This happens because nitroglycerin oozes out of the system during aging. The loosening of the bond between the liner and the propellant during aging was shown to be due to the contraction of the propellant which occurs on account of nitroglycerin migration from the propellant system