Manufactured Solid Fuels for Airbreathing Propulsion Applications

Solid fuels have been extensively studied and utilized across multiple applications for both military and space-faring missions; however, there is little research on air-breathing solid-fuel ramjets. This study aims to develop a testing method to measure specific combustion characteristics in a custom micro ramjet using ABS fuel and compare the results with those from a large-scale facility. In this test campaign, 3D-printed ABS fuel with 100% infill was used in three conditions and compared with data from a large-scale facility. The data showed that the micro ramjet exhibits regression rates similar to those of its much larger cylindrical ram jet, and the extrapolated values are within 10% of each other. validating the test data of the small-scale facility.