Zinc-sulfur rocket propellant

[somecommiebastard]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here or not but I'm gonna go ahead and do so, also this is my first posting of a composition so Im sorry for the wall of text and please point out anything I missed.

 

Name of composition:

Zinc-sulfur fuel, micrograin, zinkitt

Composition Type:

solid rocket propellant
Creator:

Unknown, but its discussed in early rocketry books

Color/Effect:

Produces a bright green flame and smoke.
The Composition: (by weight)

There are various ratios for this composition, but for the most part the 2/1 (zinc/sulfur) is the most common, also ratios of 6/1 exist

but tend to produce a more "explosive" composition and should be avoided
Any Precautions/Incompatibilities:

As this contains sulfur it should be kept away from chlorates due to risks of spontaneous combustion,

also when this composition is ignited it produces zinc sulfide and gasses that can be toxic if in an enclosed space so it should only be ignited outside or in a fume hood.

Procedure/Preparation:

Simply grind the sulfur and the zinc separately till they are finely powdered and then combine by diaper mixing until you have a uniform dark grey powder. This composition can be compressed into an engine using a hydraulic press.

 

And as a note, this fuel is only meant for small rockets and because this is an older rocket fuel it has a tendency of producing inconsistent results some of the time, so expect your rockets to not launch off of the launch pad or even explode if its over pressurized.

Edited January 18, 2014 by somecommiebastard

[Maserface]

how is the grain loaded? I have always been curious about zinc rockets. Any information on core/nozzle dimensions would be appreciated.

[somecommiebastard]

I havent really experimented with this in rockets but I have made small amounts and ignited it unconfined and it made a nice green poof of fire.

 

There's an old thread on APC that covered the core and nozzle dimensions thats linked below:

 

http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/2163-zincsulphur-fueled-rockets/

[RickM]

A friend of mine that did Zinc/sulfur rockets also tried 'hot cast' zinc sulfur by melting the two together and then pouring it into forms to make the propellant grains. Can't beat the awesome flame of ZnS rocket propellant.

 

 

We then tried it as the core for sugar propellant motors:

 

Rick