Feasibility Analysis of 3D-Printed Solid Rocket Motors with Different Materials

To reduce the cost of launching satellites into space, the solid rocket motor was manufactured using 3D printing technology. ULTEM1010, PEEK, and polyamide 12 (PA12) reinforced with carbon fibers (CF) and PA12 reinforced with glass beads (GBs) were selected as the materials for manufacturing the motor. The mechanical properties of the samples were analyzed by tensile tests, and it was found that the materials’ tensile strength values were lower than the values provided by the supplier. Before conducting ignition experiments, hydraulic pressure tests were conducted on the motors made by these four materials. Also, porosity analysis was performed on the tensile parts and the motors for the hydraulic pressure tests. It was found that the first three materials showed pressure leakage because the cross-section of the motors was prone to pore clusters under the process of fused deposition modeling (FDM). The ignition test revealed that the motor made by PA12/GBs can withstand an ignition environment with a temperature of 2500 K and a pressure of about 12 MPa.