Study on performance of pintle controlled thrust solid rocket motor

The important relationship among configuration, position of pintle and throat area can be determined by means of the equivalent throat area calculation method, and thrust regulating performances of the motors with different pintle configuration were contrasted. Some unconventional flow phenomena such as complex wave system, flow separation in the motor due to the intervention of pintle were numerically simulated, and the total performance of the motor during controlled thrust was predicted. The calculated steady-state balance pressure and thrust were compared with experiment data of principle prototype, and the results agreed well feasibility of thrust control and the validity of the numerical model were verified. The conclusion can provide a useful reference for design, experiment and application of controlled thrust solid rocket motor.