Propellent grains

Claim 1

A SOLID PROPELLANT GRAIN, SAID GRAIN COMPRISING A SELFOXIDANT, SOLID PROPELLENT MATRIX, THE COMBUSTION OF WHICH GENERATES PROPELLENT GASES, AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE INITIAL, EXPOSED IGNITION SURFACE, SAID MATRIX CONTAINING EMBEDDED THEREIN A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN THE PLANE TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF FLAME PROPAGATION, SAID METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID INITIAL IGNITION SURFACE OF SAID GRAIN AND BEING CONTINUOUSLY AND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED IN THE DIRECTION OF FLAME PROPAGATION OF THE GRAIN, SAID CONDUCTORS WITHIN THE BODY OF THE GRAIN HAVING A LENGTH OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.2 INCH AND HAVING A MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF ABOUT 0.05 INCH IN AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION, THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF SAID LENGTH OF SAID METAL CONDUCTORS LYING WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PROPELLENT GRAIN AND BEING IN INTIMATE, GAS-SEALING CONTACT WITH THE PROPELLENT MATRIX, THE BURNING SURFACE OF SAID GRAIN, AFTER IGNITION, REGENERATING PROGRESSIVELY ALONG EACH OF SAID METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS AND IN SO DOING, FORMING A RECESS WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED IN AT LEAST ONE PLANE WITH EACH OF SAID METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS AT THE APEX OF SAID ACCESS, THEREBY FORMING A RECESSED SURFACE OF SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER SURFACE AREA THAN THAT OF A PLANE BURNING SURFACE, SAID METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS BEING SPACED SUFFICIENTLY APART TO PERMIT SAID RECESSING OF THE BURNING SURFACE, THE METAL HEAT CONDUCTORS THEREBY SERVING TO INCREASE THE MASS BURNING RATE, AND, THEREBY, THE MASS RATE OF GAS GENERATION OF SAID PROPELLENT GRAIN.