The chemical basis for gun propellant stability testing

Mulvala: Fourth Gun Propellant Conference, NSW, 23-25 October 1990All propellants which contain nitrocellulose will suffer chemical degradation throughout service life. Propellants may become unserviceable and present risks from fire in storage or premature firings in the gun. The choice of monitoring techniques is thus a key aspect in surveillance programs to ensure continued safe use of propellants. Most important is the selection of a key parameter which can be accurately and precisely measured and importantly which can be used to determine present and likely future stability. Stabiliser analysis represents a viable solution to this problem.
The purpose of this paper will be to discuss the merits of stabiliser analysis compared to other techniques, to briefly describe the chemical reactivity of stabilisers associated with aging, to assess the different types of analyses available, and to address the relevance of such tests to the prediction of service life. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of stabiliser analysis will be discussed.