A Structural Integrity Perspective for the Assessment of Ageing in Composite Solid Propellants

Abstract

Composite solid propellants (CSPs) are critical materials in the defence and aerospace industries, known for their complex mechanical behaviour and susceptibility to ageing. This study explores the application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to discriminate the ageing degradation of CSPs based on structural integrity parameters. The research utilises data from tensile and fracture tests conducted on CSP samples subjected to three types of accelerated ageing procedures: mechanical, thermal, and ozone ageing. The PCA methodology effectively reduces the dimensionality of the dataset, facilitating the identification of distinct ageing patterns related to the measured structural integrity parameters. The findings demonstrate that PCA is a robust tool for evaluating the in-service life of CSPs, offering a comprehensive approach to monitoring and predicting their structural integrity. This methodology not only aids in the discrimination of ageing types and severities but also suggests potential for optimising surveillance programmes, leading to more cost-effective and reliable assessments.