On the viscosity of composite suspensions of aluminum and ammonium perchlorate particles dispersed in hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene--New empirical model

The rheological properties of fuel suspensions with various solid loadings up to close their maximum packing fraction and suspending media having different viscosities are investigated using the rotational viscometer at relatively low shear rates in which suspensions behave as Newtonian fluids. Aluminum (Al) and ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles are major solid components of any solid fuel system which should be distributed uniformly inside a polymeric binder based on hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB). The experimental data generated in this investigation indicates that the relative viscosity of the suspensions is independent of viscosity of polymer binder, but in addition to solid content, geometrical aspects of the solid particles affect strongly the relative viscosity of suspensions. Maximum packing fraction of filler is found to be suitable quantitative measure of filler characteristics such as size, size distribution, shape and structure. Consequently, it is revealed that the relative viscosity of fuel suspension is a unique function of reduced volume fraction (Phi). Based on analogy of viscosity enhancement of reactive resin with cure conversion and suspension with filler content, an empirical model with two adjustable parameters originated from resin gelation model is suggested. According to this model and experimental results obtained in this investigation, a generalized model is proposed to describe the relative viscosity as a function of solid content in which the adjustable parameters are found to be general constants. The generalized model which is expressed as mu(r) = (1-Phi)(0.3 Phi-2) is found to be quite accurate to predict the experimental data. Furthermore, the applicability and accuracy of the generalized model are evaluated using the viscosity data of some suspension systems reported in the literature.