Thermal Analysis of Viscoelastic Propellant Grains with Developed Axisymmetric Finite Elements using Herrmann Formulation

Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) is developed based on casting method where solid propellant grains are cast into a composite or metallic casing. Generally, SRMs are exposed to extreme loading scenarios during storage, transportation, and firing, leading to cracks in the solid propellants. In this paper, Computational Finite Element Analysis is performed with developed 8 node quadrilateral, 9 node quadrilateral and 6 node triangular elements using Herrmann formulation to analyze stress and strain variations in the head and mid segments of the SRM subjected to thermal loading. The obtained results are compared with commercially available Finite element software.