Method for making extruded, solventless, composite-modified double base propellant

A method for formulating an extrudable composite-modified double-base propellant having an appreciable quantity of ballistic solids, which comprise the steps of:

• preparing a first solution comprising a liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of heptane, hexane, and octane, a first portion of active plasticizers selected from the group consisting of nitroglycerin, metroil trinitrate, triethylene glycol dinitrate, pentaerythritol trinitrate and mixtures thereof, a first portion of relatively non-active plasticizers selected from the group consisting of dinormal propyl adipate, dibutyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, diisobutyl azelate, dimethyl sebacate, dibutyl sebacate, and mixtures thereof, and a first portion of filler ingredients selected from the group consisting of ethyl centralite, resorcinol, candelilla wax, 2-nitro diphenyl amine, aluminum lead oxide, lead stamate, lead salicylate, copper salicylate, lead .beta. resorcylate, copper .beta. resorcylate, and mixtures thereof;
• mixing a solid binder ingredient selected from the group consisting of from 12 to 14.14% nitrogen nitrocellulose, into said first solution so as to form a first slurry;
• agitating said first slurry for from about 30 to about 60 minutes at a rate from about 3500 to about 5000 revolutions per minute, so as to deagglomerate and bruise the surface of the selected solid binder ingredient;
• mixing into said first slurry a second portion of the selected relatively non-active plasticizers so as to coat said deagglomerated solid binder ingredient;
• separating and saving said first liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon solution from said coated solid binder;
• drying said coated solid binder to remove any remaining liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon and any traces of water;
• determining the amount of the selected liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon lost in separating and drying;
• forming a second slurry by re-slurrying said dry coated solid binder in a second solution comprising a mixture of said saved solution and enough of the selected liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon to replace that lost in separating and drying;
• mixing a solid oxidizer selected from group consisting of nitroquanidine, ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine, and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine into said second slurry to obtain a uniform dispersion of said solid oxidizer and said coated solid binder;
• forming a solid composition by mixing into said dispersion a second portion of the selected active plasticizer ingredients and the selected fillers, and a third portion of the selected relatively non-active plastizers, so as to evenly coat said solid oxidizer and begin to penetrate said coated solid binder;
• separating and saving the resulting liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon solution from said solid composition;
• drying and curing said solid composition until it is fully plasticized;
• and
• extruding the dried cured composite-modified double-base propellant composition.