Date of Award:

5-2016

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Stephen A. Whitmore

Committee

Stephen A. Whitmore

Committee

Rees Fullmer

Committee

David Geller

Abstract

This thesis examined the hypothesis that radiative heat transfer in small-scale printed-fuel hybrid rocket motors is responsible for the observed decreasing oxidizer-to-fuel (O/F) ratio shift. The magnitude of the radiation term was negligible for the motor sizes and types of propellants that have been previously tested, but was reintroduced in this study. To prove this hypothesis, a detailed enthalpy balance model was developed and tested using experimental fuel regression rate data obtained from a variety of motor scales using additively-manufactured acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) fuel grains.

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