Experimental characterization of thrust for ≤ 20 N-s impulse solid rocket motors

The rocket launch industry is booming as the desire to explore new horizons rapidly increases. Launching observation and telecommunication satellites into orbit has normalized weekly launch cadences. As such, research on rocket motors has skyrocketed as well. Small-scale solid rocket motors are cheaper (a few hundred dollars vs. millions of dollars) and cleaner (less fuel consumption and emitted greenhouse gases) proxies for full-scale rocket engines, but they are not as widely studied. This work has provided insight into the benefits of small-scale solid rocket motors using a novel load cell test stand to measure thrust, a key measure of performance. To provide guidance for the use of larger-scale rocket engines, this study hypothesized that the motor with the most propellant would be the most effective in producing high magnitude and long duration thrust. Using Estes motors A8-0, B6-0, C11-0, and D12-0, this work found this to largely be true. Additional findings include that larger motors like the D12-0 tend to have higher total thrust per mass and higher propellant-to-total-mass ratio.