Thixotropic monopropellants

Claim 1

IN A HETEROGENEOUS MONOPROPELLANT COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A DISPERSION OF FINELY-DIVIDED, INSOLUBLE, SOLID INORGANIC OXIDIZER IN A CONTINUOUS OXIDIZABLE ORGANIC FUEL MATRIX, WHICH FORMS GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, AND SAID ORGANIC FUEL MATRIX BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN INERT ORGANIC COMPOUND WHICH DOES NOT CONTAIN COMBINED OXYGEN AVAILABLE FOR COMBUSTION OF OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE MOLECULE AND REQUIRES AN EXTERNAL OXIDIZER FOR COMBUSTION AND AN ACTIE ORGANIC COMPOUND WHICH CONTAINS COMBINED OXYGEN AVAILABLE FOR OXIDATION OF OTHER MOLECULARLY-COMBINED COMPONENTS OF SAID ACTIVE COMPOUND, SAID INERT COMPOUND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COMPOUNDS CONTAINING MOLECULARLY-COMBINED CARBON, HYDROGEN, AND OXYGEN AND COMPOUNDS CONTAINING MOLECULARLY-COMBINED CARBON, HYDROGEN, AND NITROGEN , SAID ACTIVE COMPOUND CONTAINING A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NITROSO, NITRO, NITRITE AND NITRATE, SAID OXIDIZER BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN ACTIVE COMBUSTION OF THE INERT ORGAIC FUEL COMPOUND, SAID ORGANIC FUEL MATRIX CONTAINING, IN ADDITION, FROM 0 TO A MINOR AMOUNT OF A GELLING AGENT, ALL OF WHICH IS DISSOLVED THEREIN, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH SAID ORGANIC FUEL MATRIX, INCLUDING SAID DISSOLVED GELLING AGENT WHEN PRESENT, IS A LIQUID WHICH IS MOBILE AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES, WHICH COMPRISES AT LEAST ABOUT 8% BY WEIGHT OF SAID COMPOSITION, WHICH COMPRISES ONE OR MORE LIQUID COMPONENTS, ALL OF WHICH HAVE A MAXIMUM VAPOR PRESSURE OF ABOUT 25 MM. HG AT 100*C., SAID LIQUID COMPONENTS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID INERT ORGANIC COMPOUND, SAID INERT COMPOUND BEING A LIQUID AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES, AND FROM 0 TO ABOUT 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID ACTIVE ORGANIC COMPOUND, SAID ACTIVE COMPOUND BEING A LIQUID AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES, SAID MONOPROPELLANT BEING AN EXTRUDABLE, THIXOTROPIC COMPOSITION WHICH REQUIRES A FINITE STRESS TO PRODUCE FLOW, IN INDEFINITELY CAPABLE, AFTER STORAGE, OF CONTINUOUS FLOW AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES UNER A MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS AT A WALL OF 10 P.S.I. AND HAS A MINIMUM TENSILE STRENGTH OF ABOUT 0.01 P.S.I.