Thixotropic heterogeneous monopropellant compositions

Claim 1

IN A HETEROGENEOUS MONOPROPELLANT COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY, OF FINELY-DIVIDED, SOLID, INSOLUBLE, INORGANIC OXIDIZER, DISPERSED IN A CONTINUOUS, OXIDIZABLE, ORGANIC FUEL MATRIX, AND WHICH BURNS TO FORM GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, SAID FUEL MATRIX BEING A MOBILE LIQUID WHICH FORMS AT LEAST ABOUT 8% BY WEIGHT OF SAID COMPOSITION, AND COMPRISES ONE OR MORE ORGANIC LIQUID COMPONENTS, ALL OF WHICH CONTAIN MOLECULARLY-COMBINED CARBON AND HYDROGEN AND HAVE A MAXIMUM VAPOR PRESSURE OF ABOUT 25 MM. HG AT 100*C., AND AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS AN INERT COMPOUND REQUIRING AN EXTERNAL OXIDIZER FOR COMBUSTION, SAID INORGANIC OXIDIZER BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN ACTIVE COMBUSTION OF THE INERT ORGANIC FUEL COMPOUND, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH SAID LIQUID FUEL MATRIX HAS A MINIMUM VISCOSITY OF ABOUT 400 CENTIPOISES AT 77*F., AND CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A SYNTHETIC LIQUID ORGANIC POLYMER WHICH HAS A MINIMUM VISCOSITY OF ABOUT 400 CENTIPOISES AT 77*F., IS SUFFIENTLY MOBILE TO FLOW AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES, AND DOES NOT FURTHER POLYMERIZE SUBSTANTIALLY IN SAID MONOPROPELLANT COMPOSITION DURING STORAGE, SAID MONOPROPELLANT BEING AN EXTRUDABLE, THIXOTROPIC COMPOSITION WHICH REQUIRES A FINITE STRESS TO PRODUCE FLOW, IS INDEFINITELY CAPABLE, AFTER STORAGE, OF CONTINUOUS FLOW AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES UNDER A MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS AT A WALL OF ABOUT 10 P.S.I., AND HAS A MINIMUM TENSILE STRENGTH OF ABOUT 0.01 P.S.I., SAID VISCOUS LIQUID POLYMER SERVING TO IMPART THIXOTROPIC PROPERTIES TO THE MONOPROPELLANT COMPOSITION AND TO HOLD THE DISPERSED SOLIDS IN STABLE DISPERSION.