Burnback Analysis of Solid Propellant Rocket Motors

TL;DR

This paper reviews burnback analysis methods for solid propellant rocket motors, emphasizing the solution of the Eikonal equation and comparing analytical, numerical, and phenomenological approaches for improved accuracy and efficiency.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of burnback analysis techniques, highlighting the role of the Eikonal equation and recent advancements in numerical solutions since the early 2000s.

Findings

Eikonal equation solutions clarified in early 2000s

Numerical methods offer improved accuracy over heuristic approaches

Examples demonstrate efficiency and precision of modern methods

Abstract

Burnback analysis is a geometric exercise, whose correct solution leads to obtaining the thrust curve of solid propellant rockets. Traditionally, Piobert statement, which introduces a certain amount of intuition, is used as an argument to construct analytical and numerical algorithms, although it is also common to use numerical integration of differential equations, whose solution is free of ambiguities. This paper presents a detailed study of the process experienced by the combustion surface that allows enunciating the properties of the kinematics of the surface without the need to appeal to heuristic considerations. Next, the methods used throughout the technological development of solid propellant rockets are reviewed, from their beginnings to modern methods, which obtain solutions to complex problems, based on the numerical solution of PDE. Other methods are also reviewed, which are developed around some of the properties presented by the solution, that is, methods of heuristic or phenomenological foundation. As a result of the review, it becomes clear that the solution of the Eikonal equation for burnback analysis is undertaken in the early 2000, clarifying the problem. Finally, several examples of the capabilities of the most relevant methods are provided, from the point of view of both efficiency and precision, presenting results in situations of interest, in the field of propulsion by solid-propellant rockets.