Munitions powered by solid fuel are superior to those powered by liquid fuel in the following respects:
(1) Reliablity and 'shelf life'
(2) Simplicity (linked to above)
(3) Safety in handling
(4) Add your own comments
There disavantage is their either all nature. It would be handy if they could be fired in controlled pulses for particular applications.
Here's an idea, put in your mind the typical layout of a solid fuel rocket now imagine repacing the wodge of solid fuel by a system of layers fuel/insulator/fuel etc. Each layer of fuel would incorperate a fine conducting mesh which can be used to ignite that paticular layer. The insulater is indented like a Mills grenade and has these properties: under compression it remains intact and prevents the ingress of heat and flame into the underlying fuel layer. Under tension when this underlying layer is ignited it disintegrates, its mass together with that of the mesh supplying a useful addition of mass (hence momentum) to the exhaust.
The layers can then be fired sequentially to supply controlled pulses.
(1) Reliablity and 'shelf life'
(2) Simplicity (linked to above)
(3) Safety in handling
(4) Add your own comments
There disavantage is their either all nature. It would be handy if they could be fired in controlled pulses for particular applications.
Here's an idea, put in your mind the typical layout of a solid fuel rocket now imagine repacing the wodge of solid fuel by a system of layers fuel/insulator/fuel etc. Each layer of fuel would incorperate a fine conducting mesh which can be used to ignite that paticular layer. The insulater is indented like a Mills grenade and has these properties: under compression it remains intact and prevents the ingress of heat and flame into the underlying fuel layer. Under tension when this underlying layer is ignited it disintegrates, its mass together with that of the mesh supplying a useful addition of mass (hence momentum) to the exhaust.
The layers can then be fired sequentially to supply controlled pulses.