Pressed solid propellant pellets

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A PROPELLANT PELLET WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES INTRODUCING INTO A MOLD CAVITY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF A PROPELLENT COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 15 WEIGHT PERCENT OF A COMBUSTION CATALYST, AND BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND 40 WEIGHT PERCENT OF OXIDIZABLE ORGANIC BINDER MATERIAL WHEREIN SAID BINDER MATERIAL CONSISTS OF A POLYMERIC BASE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CELLULOSE ESTERS OF ALKANOIC ACIDS CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, POLYVINYLCHLORIDE, POLYVINYL ACETATE, ACRYLONITRILE AND STYRENEACRYLONITRILE, AND AN OXYGENATED HYDROCARBON PLASTICIZER THEREFOR SAID PLASTICER CONTAINING SAID OXYGEN IN CHEMICAL COMBINATION, AND THE REMAINDER ESSENTIALLY ONLY AMMONIUM NITRATE, APPLYING TO SAID COMPOSITION IN SAID MOLD CAVITY A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 3000 P.S.I. AND 800P.S.I., FOR A TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 0.05 AN D0.25 SECOND TO FORM SAID COMPOSTION INTO A PELLET OF THE DESIRED SHAPE, REMOVING SAID PELLET FROM SAID MOLD HEAT TREATING SAID PELLET AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 70* C. TO 85* C. FOR A TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 1 HOUR AN D 2 HOURS AND COOLING SAID HOT PELLET TO AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO OBTAIN A STRONG COMPRESSED PROPELLANT PELLET.