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April 16, 1968 J. E. HODGSON 3,377,955 COATED TABLETS AND OTHER FUEL CORES OF EXOTIC REACTIVE FUELS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 7, 196l. 3. Sheets-Sheet l % d WZ72g x Š / $1 A3 INVENTOR. 4. /AAMAS A. A/OA6SOAV BY 7%. , 6.6., 4.82%ry ATTOAAVEYs April 16, 1968 J. E. HODGSON 3,377,955 COATED TABLETS AND OTHER FUE CORES OF EXOTIC REACTIVE FUELS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME - Filed June 7, 196l 3. Sheets-Sheet, 2 INVENTOR. a 77OAAVA YS April 16, 1968 J. E. HOOGSON 3,377,955 COATED TABLETS AND OTHER FUEL CORES OF EXOTIC REACTIVE FUELS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 7, 196 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ua W.A.S. A. A/Old GSOAV %. 6.4.4.4, A 77aaa/AFYS 3,377,955 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 16, 1968 1. 2 3,377,955 It is an object of the present invention to provide a COATED TABLETS AND OTHER FUEL CORES OF phamaceutical size tablet comprising a core of metal-con EXOTIC REACTIVE FUELS AND METHOD OF taining fuel particles and an outer continuous film jacket MAKHNG SAME for said core less reactive with oxidizing materials than James E. Hodgson, Newport Beach, Calif., assignor to Said fuel particles to allow said fuel particles to be in The Solid Fuels Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a cor co!porated in a large solid propellant rocket composition poration of Ohio without deterioration and reaction thereof. Continuation-in-part of applications Ser. No. 850,387, It is an object to provide a solid propellant charge for Nov. 2, 1959, and Ser. No. 862,692, Dec. 29, 1959. a rocket engine which is capable of delivering high This application June 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,504 IO amounts of energy for thrust and which comprises oxi 15 Claims. (CI. 102-102) dizer particles and a plurality of small coated fuel slugs The present application is a continuation-in-part of ap Such as tablets, discs and rods in a combustible binder for plication Ser. No. 850,387 filed Nov. 2, 1959, now Patent the slugs and the oxidizer particles. No. 3,159,104 and Ser. No. 862,692 filed Dec. 29, 1959, It is an object of the present invention to provide a now Patent No. 3,158,994. method of coating pharmaceutical size tablets comprising The present invention is directed to coated exotic fuel the steps of mixing a plurality of metal-containing fuel cores such as tablets of pressed metal-containing fuel par particles, mixing said particles together to form a tablet, ticles and to a method of making the same. and coating said tablet with a continuous film that is less It has not been possible to utilize otherwise desirable reactive than said particles with oxidizing materials to high energy delivering light metal hydride particles in 20 prevent said fuel particles from detonating when mixed large Solid fuel rocket propellant compositions since the into a rocket composition and stored near oxidizing ma metal hydrides have always been used in a finely divided terials. form for good dispersion in the composition and, in that It is an object of the present invention to provide a form, were also highly reactive and unstable in storage, method of treating exotic metal-containing fuel particles particularly when mixed with unstable oxidizer radicals. 25 for safe incorporation in large rocket compositions com As is well known in the art, the exotic metal hydride par prising the steps of mixing a plurality of metal-containing ticles will react prematurely with moisture and oxidizer fuel particles, pressing said particles together to form a particles and burn to detonation. Also, the known propel tablet, and coating said tablet with an organic resin or an lant binders cannot incorporate enough oxidizer and light aluminum coating. - metal hydride particles for a substantial improvement in 30 Other objects will be apparent from the specification the amount of energy delivered without suffering serious that follows, the appended claims and the drawings in drawbacks in their physical properties such as lack of which: binding power including uneven burning or even detona FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a large solid-propel tion caused by the development of cracks in the composi lant rocket being loaded with fuel made in accordance tion. with the present invention with parts being broken away In the present invention, even ordinary highly danger and shown in section; ous fuel particles such as lithium hydride or explosives FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coated pharmaceutical such as R.D.X. or liquids such as tetranitromethane can size tablet of exotic metal-containing fuel particles with be safely incorporated and stored in very large solid a portion thereof shown in section; rocket propellant compositions by pressing exotic reac 40 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coated fuel tablet tive metal-containing fuel particles such as lithium hy such as shown in FIG. 2; dride together to form a pharmaceutical-size tablet and F.G. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a solid propel then coating the tablet with a material less reactive with lant illustrating the use of coated fuel tablets in a con oxidizing materials than the fuel particles such as pow ventional oxidizer-binder propellant composition accord dered aluminum or an organic resin such as an epoxy 45 ing to the present invention; resin. The pressing and coating of reactive fuel particles FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of one to a volume of about 1/1190 to about 8 cubic inches, as form of a coated fuel slug in which exotic metal-contain hereinafter described in detail, allows the fuel particles ing fuel particles are encased in a thin-walled hollow plas to be added safely to large propellant compositions, even tic tube; those containing substantial amounts of oxidizers. 50 FIG. 6 is an elevational sectional view showing exotic Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to fuel particles encased between two thin organic resin provide a coated tablet of about pharmaceutical tablet sheets: size of exotic metal-containing fuel particles such as lith ium hydride so that the lithium hydride can be safely in FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an uncoated fuel tablet corporated in large rocket propellant compositions for of compacted exotic fuel particles with a portion broken improved burning performance. 55 away and shown in section; It is an object of the present invention to provide a FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a coated fuel slug in the method of making a coated tablet of about pharmaceutical form of a thin wafer; tablet-size of exotic metal-containing fuel particles such as FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a mesh structure made of lithium hydride or a tablet of reactive liquid such as hy 60 hollow plastic tubing filled with metal-containing fuel par drazine so that the exotic metal hydride fuel particles or ticles for use as reinforcing material in solid rocket pro reactive liquids can be safely incorporated even in large pellants; rocket compositions to provide improved burning per FIG. 10 is an elevational sectional view of a solid pro formance. pellant charge illustrating the use of coated and encased 3,377,955 3. 4. rods of exotic metal hydride particles as reinforcers for oxidizer particles of 10 to 400 mesh and 10 to 50 parts by the propellant charge; weight of a rubbery binder such as a copolymer of styrene FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view of a process of mak and butadiene and a polysulphide rubber in amounts of ing coated wires of lithium aluminum hydride and lithium about 2 up to as high as 45 or 50 parts by weight per hydride particles with parts broken away and shown in 100 parts of the oxidizer/binder. While amounts of 2 to section; 3 parts provide increased thrust safely, 15 to 35 parts are FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a process of encap greatly preferred for increased burning performance with sulating discs of exotic metal particles within the two out overtaxing the capacity of the binder to incorporate resin foils to provide a coated fuel slug to enable a large both the oxidizer particles and the coated fuel tablets. amount of the exotic metal to be added to a solid rocket Likewise, in most cases 25 to 30 parts by weight pro propellant charge; vide the best results for the medium to large rockets FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a coated spherical those having a diameter over 2 feet and a length over tablet of exotic metal-containing fuel particles with a 15 feet to a diameter of 5 feet and a length of 60 feet or portion thereof shown in section; Oe FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an end burning propellant 5 A preferred composition for a large rocket would be illustrating the use of liquid fuel and oxidizers encased as follows: within plastic tubes, the liquid-filled tubes being rein TABLE I forcers for the propellant; and, Ingredients: Parts by wt. FIG. 15 illustrates the packaging of coated liquid or Oxidizer particles (such as ammonium per solid oxidizer and solid fuels within a light metal can, the 20 chlorate, lithium perchlorate) ------------ 60-80 can being an excellent method of loading large propellant Rubbery binder (such as a copolymer of 50-85 boosters with high-energy delivering materials. parts butadiene and 15 to 50 parts by weight The present invention provides, as best seen in a pre of styrene) ---------------------------- 20-40 ferred embodiment shown in FIGS.