X-Ray Radiography Study of the Interior Ballistics of a Model Solid Rocket Motor

A contactless X-ray radiography technique for diagnostics of solid rocket motors (SRMs) is presented. An experimental study was performed to visualize intrachamber processes and determine the solid propellant burning rate in a model E-5-0 SRM using an X-ray system consisting of an X-ray source and a dynamic X-ray detector which are located at a given distance from the test object. The possibility of contactless determination of the propellant burning rate based on an analysis of gray level changes near the burning surface was confirmed experimentally. Radiography results are in satisfactory agreement with the results of other methods for determining the solid propellant burning rate.