ABSTRACT
Solid-propellant rocket engines (SPREs) have been used for various purposes and are historically believed to have been mastered by the Chinese and Indians after the invention of black powder. This chapter compares various features of an SPRE with those of an liquid-propellant rocket engine (LPRE). The star grain configuration is the most preferred radially burning cylindrical grain in SPREs as it has both a progressive burning tube and regressive burning star points. The processes involved during the burning of a double-base (DB) propellant, which has a distinct mode of combustion. The burning rate of the propellant is strongly dependent on the chamber pressure. DB propellants are very sensitive to burn rate modifiers. The energy release system is the portion of the igniter that initiates combustion over the propellant grain of the rocket engine. The chapter describes types of pyrotechnic igniters, namely basket igniter and jet flame igniter.
