In situ monitoring of solid propellants under compressive load by MWCNT piezoresistive sensor

摘要

We present an approach to on-line monitor the interfacial damages between solid propellants and carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (CF/epoxy) composites, as well as the solid propellants themselves. A piezoresistive sensor based on the electric resistance change ($Delta R$) of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is adopted to carry out the in situ monitoring experiments. The thickness effect of the solid propellant block on the monitoring performances of the MWCNT sensor is investigated. Meanwhile, the monitoring results by MWCNT sensors embedded in different positions in the solid propellants are also considered. With the assist of microscopic morphology observation, the damage mechanism of the viscoelasticity solid propellants under various compressive loads is discussed. The relationship between $Delta R$ and the compressive load-displacement curve is built. The results indicate that the proposed method is capable of in situ monitoring of the compressive performances of solid propellants.